All Of You
by MyTwiDreams
Summary: Alice is different and doesn't want anyone to find out about it, especially not her stepsister Isabella/ AH/Bellice/Futa/-Completed-
1. Chapter 1

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

[A/N] Thanks to everyone who took the time to click on this story. I have no clue where this is heading, but the evil bunny in my head, told me to write it down anyway. We'll see how it works out. This story will be a Futa fic and if that doesn't float your boat – feel free to leave. For those of you who are still with me, I hope you enjoy.

I'm looking for someone who'd like to beta or pre-read this project for me so pm me should you be interested in helping me.

****1****

Alice Cullen didn't know that she was any different from other girls until one of her friends from kindergarten had invited her over for having a sleepover to celebrate her fourth birthday. When she was changing into her pajama pants with the little ice-bears on them, one of the girls had pointed at her, squeaking loudly.

"Look, Alice is a boy! She's a boy!" Charlotte called out it surprise.

"If she's a boy she can't play with us. I hate boys! They're stupid." another girl named Maria stated, crossing her tiny arms around the doll she was cradling against her chest.

No one had ever been mean to Alice in her young life and now that the three other girls were starting to push her in order to get her out of the room, her green eyes filled with tears.

"Bu-t, I'm a girl like you." she protested between heaves that rocked through her body.

"You're a boy. Only boys like my daddy and my brother Jasper have a penis." Maria told her, pulling roughly on one of Alice's braids.

"I'm not a boy! I'm not a boy! I hate you. I hate all of you!"

Charlotte's parents got alarmed from the yelling and because they didn't manage to calm neither Alice nor the other girls down again, they ended up driving the crying girl back home to her parents.

When they made it there Alice's father was just returning home from a long day in the hospital where he was working as a surgeon.

"Sweetie, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to sleep at Charlotte's house tonight?"

"She was mean to me! Oh Daddy, all of them were so mean to me. They said I'm a boy and can't play with them."

"Dr. Cullen, I'm sorry," Charlotte's mother murmured before quickly placing Alice's backpack on the ground. Then she stepped inside her car again and drove off.

Alice sniffed and sat down on the stairs to her house. Why was everyone so mean to her? She had thought that Charlotte was her best friend.

"Daddy? Am I a boy?"

"No, you're not, sweetie." he said, his voice cracking slightly. "You're just special."

"Special?"

"Yes, you're special. Now, let's go back inside and see if we have some ice-cream for the two of us."

He fumbled out his key and lifted Alice up, carrying her inside the kitchen.

"Carlisle, you told me, you'd be here at five o'clock now it's almost nine." Irina, Alice's Mom, said in a reproachful tone as she entered the kitchen from the living room where she had been reading a book.

"What's wrong with Alice? Is she hurt?"

"Mommy, they were mean to me. They said I'm a boy because I have a penis."

Irina's face paled, her hands quivering and with the little bit of self-composure the woman had left she told her daughter to go to her room and wait for her.

Even through the closed door Alice could hear her parents yelling at each other. There was some talk about a surgery that her mother wanted her to have and her father didn't. After a while the front door slammed and a few moments later the engine of her dad's beloved Mercedes roared to life.

"Honey, I'm so sorry." Irina told Alice as she came to her room, bringing a tray with cookies and milk with her. "I'm so sorry they found out you are different. I told your father we should have your penis removed when you were a baby, but he thinks he knows everything better because he's a doctor."

"Daddy said I'm special."

"He's right about that. You are special, our special little girl. But you can't let anyone else know that you have a penis. People are stupid and wouldn't understand it."

"So, it's like a secret?"

Irina nodded her head, stroking the little girl's head with her fingertips. They shared the cookies and Irina explained to her that from now on Alice's father was going to live in another house.

Alice didn't like it that her parents separated but both of them had been arguing a lot in the last months, finally deciding now that it would be better to go their own ways. She only saw her father every second weekend from then on and missed him dearly.

Three years passed. Alice was sent to a kindergarten and school at the other side of town where no one knew about her penis secret and would be mean to her because of it. Alice was happy and yet she wasn't for she was beginning to understand that being special wasn't as good as her father had made it seem to her when she was little.

On a beautiful summer day, Carlisle took her out for a picnic in the park because he said he had something important to tell her.

"I'm going to move to Florida," he began. "I met a very nice lady from there that I want to marry."

"But can't you live here? If you're moving to Florida, I will never see you."

"Sweetie, of course you'll still see me. You can visit me during your holidays."

"I don't want you to go."

He nodded his head and explained to her how he had met Renee as a patient in the hospital he was working at.

"She's fun to be around. You will like her a great deal." Carlisle assured her. "You're going to meet her at the wedding."

The ceremony took place a month later and Alice loved the beautiful blue silk dress with ruffles that she was wearing for that occasion.

Renee was nice to her and had given her a new Barbie doll as a present.

"Hi," a little brown-haired girl who was about the same age as Alice greeted her cheerfully, as she walked into the hotel lobby.

"Honey, I want you to say hi to your new stepsister. This is Alice. Alice, this is my daughter Isabella."

"Hello Alice. Do you want to go swimming in the pool with me? Mommy, can we?"

"Sure, honey, why not. I think we brought two set of bathing suits with us."

Isabella grabbed Alice by her arm and pulled her with her, chattering cheerfully to her on their way up to the hotel room.

"I never had a sister before and I always wanted to have one. Now, I have a second daddy and a sister on top of it. This is my lucky day."

She pulled two bathing suits out of a bag and handed the second one to Alice.

It was then the curly-haired girl realized that getting changed here in front of Isabella was a bad idea. There was no way she was going to let her see her penis and give the other girl a reason to be mean or laugh about her.

"I don't want to go swimming."

"Why? It's fun. There is a water slide. Or don't you know how to swim? I can show you because you're my sister now."

"I don't want to be your stupid sister. I want to be alone! Leave me alone. I hate you."

XXXXX

Bella always knew that she was different. She never understood how the other girls in her class were swooning over male movie stars. How they got all excited if a boy asked them out on a date night. She liked boys, they were fun and great friends, but she couldn't picture herself kissing any of them. She found herself starring at other girls' breasts in the locker room, a tingling sensation spreading through her body every time she did it.

"Mom, I think I'm gay," she had confessed to her mother when she came home on the first day of her senior year in school.

"Is that worrying you?"

"Should it?"

"Oh honey, why would it? This is not the nineteenth century and you know that I'm not old-fashioned. I don't mind if you like girls or boys. I just want to see you happy."

With that she lifted something that was probably supposed to be a cake before she had kept it too long in the oven on the table and sighed deeply.

"Can you make a run to the supermarket and just buy a cake-mix. I don't know why it never works out when I'm trying to make anything from scratch."

"You're not that good in the kitchen. It's not your strong point. Why are you baking anyway? Eddie's birthday is in two weeks should you have messed that up."

"I know. The cake is for Alice."

"Alice?"

"Yes, for Alice. She's coming to live with us for this school year because her mother and her stepfather are moving to Europe."

"And she's going to stay where? We don't have a room for her."

"Well, I thought, you wouldn't mind sharing yours with your stepsister."

"You thought wrong. I like having some privacy."

"Honey, please don't be like that. I can't let the girl share a room with a five-year-old."

"Maybe you could have asked me beforehand if I'm okay with things."

Their discussion went on and because Renee knew what buttons to push in order to make Bella feel guilty, the brunette girl eventually agreed to let her stepsister stay in her room. She helped her mother to shove her desk and bed to the side to make some space for Alice's stuff. When they were just about to move the folding bed from the attic down, the doorbell rang.

Bella sighed, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead before quickly twisting her messy hair into a knot, fixing it with a pen before opening the door.

The moment she saw the dainty girl in front of her she knew she was lost irrevocably. She was so beautiful, with huge green eyes and rosy lips that looked like they were made for sharing soft kisses.

"Isabella? Wow, you've changed a lot since I saw you the last time."

So, have you, Bella thought, unable to stop her mouth from twitching into a probably idiotic looking grin.

"Five years are a long time. You should see Eddie. He's grown so much."

"I'm looking forward to that."

Renee walked down the stairs and wrapped her arms around Alice.

"It's so nice that you're finally here, sweetie. Did you have a good flight?"

"It was okay. Renee, I know, my father talked you into letting me stay here, but I wouldn't mind getting my own apartment."

"There is no way I will allow you to stay in an apartment all by yourself. Your father is so happy that you agreed on moving here instead of going to Europe."

Alice shrugged her shoulders, a frown flashing over her pretty face. "Laurent and Mom didn't want me to come with them. They didn't say it out loud but I just felt it."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, we really want to have you around. Don't we, Isabella?"

Bella nodded her head and helped Alice to carry two heavy suitcases to her bedroom.

"We're going to share a room?" Alice asked her sounding horrified

"Unless you'd prefer sleeping in Eddie's pigsty, I'm afraid you will. I will hang up a curtain in the middle to give us some illusion of privacy."

"Kay," Alice murmured, opening the first of the suitcases. "I try not to get into your way too much."

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just that my Mom didn't find it necessary to tell me you were coming until half an hour ago."

Bella sat down on her bed, tugging her feet underneath her. "If I can help you with unpacking, let me know."

"I'm fine. Thank you. In three months, I'll be eighteen and will move out here anyway."

"Good but until then I would like for us to get along. Do you remember how you were a little bitch to me when we were kids?"

"I was a bit difficult back then. Okay, to be honest, I'm still difficult. I tend to keep to myself and a lot of people don't seem to like that."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Bella asked her, forcing her eyes to look away from the lace bras Alice was placing on a neatly pile on the bed.

"There was a boy from my previous school that I liked but he turned out to be a jerk."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't think I like boys at all. That probably means I'm a lesbian."

"You're gay?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, no of course not, it's your business with whom you want to be."

"I know. Now, let's see if I can manage to make some room for some of your clothes in my closet. Crap, you brought a lot of stuff with you."

"My looks are important to me. I like dressing up pretty." Alice stated, placing a few shirts in a shelf of the closet.

"You're pretty no matter what kind of clothes you're wearing." Bella told her stepsister, a traitorous blush covering her cheeks. She quickly turned around to hide it, not wanting the other girl to notice it.

Renee called from downstairs, informing the girls that she had ordered some Chinese food for their dinner.

"I hope you like Chinese. Your father loves it."

"I'm sure it tastes just fine." Alice told Renee, exposing her milky-white teeth as she granted her stepmom a smile. "Oh, they gave you some fortune cookies too. I like those. They're fun."

She broke one then cookies in two pieces, unfolding the little paper inside of it.

_Open your heart – it can always be closed again._


	2. Chapter 2

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to SM

[A/N] I don't have words to express how much your great response to this story has touched my heart. I feel blessed to have such amazing readers who actually like what I'm writing. Thanks to all of you who left me a review. I love reading your thoughts, so keep them coming.

The chapter below is un-beta-ed, I will fix this later, just didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. This will probably be the last update for the next time. My job is kicking my butt pretty hard in the next couple of weeks, so that has to be a priority for a while. I'm definitely going to continue all of my works, you just need to have a bit more patience with me. Thanks for your understanding.

**FAQ's**

They're stepsisters in this story?

Yes, they are. There is something about forbidden love that makes it incredible romantic. Well, at least for me. Alice and Bella didn't grow up together and they're not actually related. Can some of you hear Jessica Stanley talking in the Cafeteria "Yeah, but they live together…it's weird." I definitely need to build her character into the plot somehow lol

Yes, Alice is genetically female. She has everything what makes a girl a girl plus some….well, shall we call it a very, very oversized clitoris? Does it make sense if I try to describe it like that?

How do you come up with all these different stories? No idea. It's probably because I'm a lonely nerd without a real life who hasn't been out on a date since…well, since a pretty long time.

****2****

Alice didn't expect to fall asleep that easily on her first night in her father's house. But when she had wrapped the blankets around her and inhaled the faint scent of lavender on her pillow it only took her minutes to drift into sleep. The dreams though, the nightmares she'd been having for months now, still came to her. She whimpered and tossed around on her sheets, sweat breaking out of each of her pores.  
Then there was a tight grip around her shoulders and when someone began shaking her gently her eyes fell open.  
"Hey, are you okay? You were crying in your sleep."  
A deep sigh left Alice's mouth and when she lifted her right hand to her cheek it was wet with tears. Embarrassed she murmured an apology to her stepsister and turned to the side, hiding her face against the comfortingly smelling pillow.  
The small folding bed squeaked as Bella sat down on its edge to stroke gently over Alice's back. A tingle went through Alice's spine but she moved away, closer to the wall in front of her.  
"Did you have a nightmare? Or are you just homesick?"  
"Maybe a bit of both," Alice whispered, turning her head around so that she could face Bella. The girl was wearing just a pair of shorts and a thin top that exposed more of her breasts than it was hiding. Alice's mouth turned dry and she swallowed hard, trying to suppress the heat that was streaming into her groins.  
"I'm sorry you had to move here. It must have been hard to leave all your friends behind in Biloxi."  
"I never really had any friends." Alice explained, sitting up straight on the bed. She placed one of the pillows on her lap and cleared her throat. "I like to keep to myself."  
"Nothing wrong with that, but you need to come out of your shell now and then. Are you going to be in my class?"  
"I think so. Guess, I'll find out tomorrow when I go to register myself for school. Last year I missed so much because- well, I was sick for a while and missed a lot of school stuff."  
"Oh I see. Well, it would be nice if we were in the same class, don't you think?"  
"Yes, sure, why not,"  
"We should go back to sleep or I'll look like crap in the morning. Good night, Alice."  
"Good night, Bella."  
For a split second Alice felt Bella's hand on her upper arm and the gentle caress made her feel warm all over again. She didn't want to fall asleep again, scared of the dark dreams that would surely come again. Instead she listened to the steady breathing of the girl in the bed at the other corner of the room. A light rattling noise reached Alice's ear now and then. The tiredness overwhelmed her and when the alarm on her stepsister's desk went on, she felt like she had just closed her eyes for like two seconds.  
"If you want to shower before breakfast, we need to get up. Do you want to go first?"  
"Nope, just go first. I need a bit more time to wake up." Alice mumbled, making sure that the blankets and pillows were securely hiding her erection. She's rather die that let the other girl find out her secret. No one could ever know she was different. The last time she had trusted anyone to get close to her it had turned into a disaster.  
Disgusting freak  
Bella grabbed some clothes from the closet and a few moments later Alice could hear the water running in the bathroom. She knew that she didn't have much time, so her hand instantly moved between her legs, wrapping her fingers tightly around the hard shaft.  
Her thumb brushed over the tip, spreading the drop of liquid that was building there down to the base. The moans in her throat died as she pressed her fist against her mouth while her hand moved up and down at a fast pace. When she climaxed into her palm a few moments later an incredible lightness floated through her entire body.  
She was just about to wipe her sticky fingers on a tissue when the door to the bedroom was pulled open again.  
With a towel wrapped around her head and a hairbrush in her hands, Bella grinned at Alice.  
"Awake now? Are you too warm? Your face is all red. You should better get used to the weather here."  
"Can I shower now?"  
"Yep, sure, I can blow-dry my hair after breakfast. I'll be in the kitchen now, trying to safe whatever my mom is cooking there. It smells like she's burning some bacon. See you."  
Alice rushed to the bathroom and took a quick shower, sniffing on the bottle of strawberry shampoo. It reminded her of something in her childhood that she couldn't place. Maybe her mother had washed her hair with something like that when she was younger.  
Oh Mom, Alice thought with a sigh. Their relationship had been tensed in the last years, well, to be honest it had been tensed ever since Alice had entered puberty and she had to deal with constant unwanted erections on top of suffering from awful mood swings that came with her period.  
She felt like she had gotten the worst out of both sexes and it had made her bitter for a long time.  
"Alice, sweetie, breakfast is ready!" Renee called from downstairs and Alice quickly stepped into a pair of baggy pants and a white button down shirt. A bit of mascara and lip gloss would have to be enough for her make-up. After all she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself on the first day at her new school.  
When she walked down the stairs a burning smell made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. Cooking really didn't seem to be her stepmother's biggest talent.  
"Good Morning, Alice. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it home on time last night. We had an emergency in the hospital." Carlisle explained as he hugged his daughter. "I hope you'll like it here."  
"Oh, of course she will, darling. Won't she Bella? You're going to help your sister to feel at home here with us."  
"Step-sister," Bella stated, filling Alice's plate with scrambled eggs. "But of course I'll help her adjust to living with us. We can ride to school together."  
"That's nice. Can you drop off the little one before you head there?"  
"Why can't you drive Eddie to school yourself, Mom? He's your kid."  
"I forget that I set up this personal trainer thing this morning. It's too late to cancel it now."  
Bella frowned. She was used to her mother using her as a free babysitter for her younger brother often enough. Renee was hopefully not trying to do the same thing to Alice.  
"Where is Eddie? I was looking forward to see him."  
"On a sleepover at a friend's house, but he should be back soon."  
"Why can't his friend's mother drive him to school?" Bella asked her mother. She grinned when she noticed how her stepfather began to shove the burned bacon around on his plate, finally hiding it under a napkin.  
"Bella don't be like that. Mr. Black has enough stress since his wife passed away. Such a poor man, raising three kids all by himself."  
"That man has enough help, since his sister moved in with him. You have too much compassion but that's why I love you."  
Carlisle kissed Renee's mouth before turning his attention to a medical magazine in front of him.  
Alice remembered how her mother Irina had always made a tantrum when her husband had been reading at the breakfast table. Well, there were hardly any memories of her parents that were not filled with the two of them fighting. Most of their arguments had to do with her abnormality. Irina kept insisting that they should remove Alice's penis while Carlisle didn't want his daughter to undergo an unnecessary surgery.

So, she was different and what? Nature had created her that way and most of the times nature knows best.  
"Aren't you hungry?" Bella asked her when she noticed that Alice had barely touched the food on her plate.  
"I'm not a breakfast person."  
Someone honked in front of the house and Renee sighed deeply as she stood up from her chair. "Is it so hard to use a doorbell for some people?"  
A few moments later she returned, a little copper-haired boy storming directly towards Alice.  
"Alice, oh Alice, you're here!"  
"Who are you?" she asked him, trying to keep her face in a calm mask.  
"But, Alice, I'm Eddie, your brother. Have you forgotten me?"  
"Oh, you can't be Eddie. He was a little baby when I saw him the last time and you're such a big boy."  
"I'm still Eddie. Bella, tell her that I'm still your brother Eddie."  
"Stop teasing him. He's going to cry when he gets angry." Bella told Alice, while she spread some butter on her toast.  
"I never cry. Mom, tell her I never cry. I'm too big to cry."  
"Of course you are, sweetie. Did you eat at Jake's place or do you want to have some bacon and eggs."  
"Ugh, bacon was a pig. I don't want to eat animals."  
"Do you want to have eggs? Your sister made them." Renee said, pouring her son a glass of orange juice.  
"Eggs are little chicken babies. Mom, don't you know that?"  
"Fine, do you want to eat an apple?"  
"If Bella cuts it for me,"  
"Sure, Eddie. How was your sleepover?" Bella asked him, while Alice forced herself to eat a bit of the eggs on her plate. They were actually pretty good. Bella didn't seem to have inherited her mother's cooking skills.  
"I hate Jake. He's stupid. I want to punch him." Eddie said, taking the first slice of apple from his older half-sister. "He wouldn't let me stroke his puppy."  
"That was not nice of him but you can't hit other children." Carlisle stated, looking up from his magazine.  
"Daddy, can I have my own puppy? Oh plleeeaase,"  
"No pet until you're old enough to take care of it yourself. How was school yesterday, did you learn anything interesting?" he asked hoping to distract the boy from the pet subject.  
"Yep," he mumbled, nibbling on the slice of apple in his hand. "Boys have a penis and girls have a va…in….a."  
Alice dropped her coffee, spilling its content all over Bella's white skirt.  
"Crap. Oh god, I'm so sorry."  
Bella jumped from her chair and rushed to the laundry room, returning a few minutes later in a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of red chucks.  
"Bella, I'm really sorry." Alice apologized again, her face flushed in embarrassment.  
"No harm done. It was an accident. Are you ready to go? We have to leave now, if we want to make it to school on time."  
They went upstairs to get their school stuff and Alice watched how Bella quickly braided her long hair in her neck instead of blow-drying it.  
"Do I look okay? I never know how to put on this make-up crap. It's not me."  
"Here," Alice whispered, pulling a tube of lip gloss out of her jacket. "It's not that difficult." With that she applied a thin coat of the peach colored gloss on Bella's full mouth. Their eyes met and for a moment Alice felt as if electricity was floating between them, making the little hairs on her forearms pimple into goose bumps.  
During their ride to school there was some awkward silence between them. It was only interrupted by the cheerful babbling of the five-year-old in the backseat.  
"Will you pick me up again after school?" he asked worriedly, biting his thumb nervously.  
"Mom is picking you up." Bella said, running her fingers through the tousled hair on her brother's head as they stepped out of the car. They should have it cut weeks ago but Eddie always made a big tantrum at the hairdresser that made Renee feel uncomfortable.  
"What if she forgets me?"  
"Mom is not going to forget you. I'll remind her. Don't worry about that."  
Bella took Eddie's little backpack and Alice followed them to the entrance of the school building.  
"Don't kiss me, like Mom does it. That's yucky." Eddie warned his sisters.  
"We won't kiss you." Bella assured him. "Have fun, Eddie. We'll see you tonight."  
He waved his hand at them and walked inside the building.  
"Come with me. We only have ten minutes left to make it to our school. I don't want to be late on the second day."  
A thin Asian guy with way too much gel in his shoulder long hair greeted them on their way to the principal's office.  
"Hey Bella-Boe, how's it going. Is that the new girl?"  
"Hi Eric, this is Alice, my stepsister. She's going to live with my family while her mother is in Europe."  
"It's nice to meet you, Alice. I'm Eric, the eyes and ears of this High."  
"The eyes and ears of this school should be in Mr. Banner's Biology class since like two minutes ago." the principal stated as he passed them by.  
"Yes, sir, of course sir, I just wanted to welcome the new student."  
"Go to class. The same goes for you, Isabella. I'll finish the paperwork with Miss Brandon and make sure she finds you afterwards."  
Then he pointed for Alice to follow him inside his office and told her to sit down opposite of his polished cherry wood desk.  
"Now, Miss Brandon, your grades look pretty good. But you still need to explain to me why you almost missed two months of school during the last semester."


	3. Chapter 3

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to SM

[A/N] Thanks for your feedback. It makes me happy that so many of you have decided to give this story a try. Your interest in my work is highly appreciated.

**FAQ's**

Does Alice ejaculate semen?

She ejaculates when she climaxes but not that kind of semen that leads to cute little babies. I'm not a doctor though, so I might be wrong about this detail…

****3****

Alice's palms were sweating as the principle showed her the way to the classroom. She wasn't a very good liar but luckily the man had believed her about the bullying in her previous school. Well, it wasn't even a complete lie. She just didn't give him the full information. There was no need to let a random stranger know about her secret. About guys who wanted to beat the crap out of her for trying to lead them wrong and turn them gay as they had called it. Girls that she had considered friends had smeared insults on her locker.

_Cock Girl_

_Tranny_

_Weirdo_

The list went on and on like this. It was no wonder she had preferred ditching school whenever it was possible and as Alice had no problem faking her mother's signature, it had taken Irina quite a while to figure out what was going on with her daughter. Maybe this was also part of the reasons why she had been so keen on shipping the sensitive girl off to live with her father.

"Nobody there knows your secret." The voice of her mother echoed in Alice's head. "You can start over new. You just need to be careful, honey."

The principle cleared his throat before opening the door for Alice.

"Hello, Mr. Banner. I'm bringing you a new student. This is Alice Brandon. Isabella Swan's stepsister." He turned directly to the class then, his voice turning into an annoying nasal tone. "I hope you'll behave yourself and make your new classmate feel welcomed here. Newton, whatever you're doing with your cell under your table, it's going to stop or you can collect the damn thing in my office after school is over."

With that he turned around on his heels and mumbled an encouraging. "Good luck," to Alice. Mr. Banner handed her a slip of paper and a book before gesturing her to sit down in the third row, between Bella and Jessica.

"Mike, put that cell away now. I'm sure you can arrange your date for the homecoming dance in your free time." Mr. Banner said sounding impatiently. This was his last year of teaching and he couldn't wait to retire in a few months.

"Who would want to date Newton?" Eric said with a grin. "Well, maybe new girl here won't be choosy."

"Shut up, Eric." Mike hissed at the other boy.

"Someone seems to long for spending his lunch break in detention. Now, get back to your books and answer the questions on page sixty. Isabella, could you show Alice where we are? Thank you."

Mike frowned and stuffed the cell back into his jacket. Then he ripped a small piece of paper out of his notebook and began writing something down on it.

When Mr. Banner wasn't looking anymore he threw it on Bella's desk. She ignored it and continued whispering to Alice.

"Are you good at Biology?"

"I'm afraid I'm not." Alice whispered, leaning a bit closer to Bella as the brunette girl explained the different circles of Mitosis to her. She tried to focus but it was difficult for Alice to concentrate while the sweet aroma of strawberry baby shampoo made her a bit dizzy with every inhalation. Her stepsister was a pretty girl, very pretty if you looked at her closely.

"Shhh, Swan, why aren't you answering my note?" Mike asked from behind Bella.

She sighed and unfolded the piece of paper.

_**Date on Friday N8? We could see a movie – your pick :-) **_

After a few seconds of hesitation she scribbled the words,

_**not intererested, sorry**_

on the piece of paper before she leaned back to place it on Mike's desk.

"Why?" he asked her as soon as he had read it. "I thought we're friends."

"Friends don't date."

"Bring your stepsister. It's going to be fun."

"Mike, just drop it."

"Don't be like this. You're just so bitchy to me because I dumped Jessica."

"Newton, you don't want to bring up, the who dumped whom convo again." Jessica snarled at him, her blue eyes narrowing in anger. "I left you because you're a prick."

"And you're a fucking dyke." He hissed back a bit louder than he probably wanted to.

"Congrats, Mr. Newton, you're the first to get detention this school year. I hope you're proud of yourself."

The bell ended the class and Alice followed Bella and Jessica to their next class, literature.

"So, you're Bella's sister, well, stepsister. It must be cool to have one. I only have my little brothers and they're a pain in the ass."

"They are cute. I hope they won't turn into morons like Mike when they get older."

"He's stupid. Alice, you have to know he's an immature jerk. I'm waiting with dating until I'm at college where they have real men hanging around."

"Hmm," Alice nodded in agreement. College wouldn't change anything for her. She couldn't see herself in a romantic relationship with anyone. The fear of being rejected was too strong.

"Do you have a boyfriend back home? Where did you come from again...Georgia?"

"No boyfriend. I'm from Mississippi. My Mom's from Slovakia though."

"Slovakia…never heard of that before. It's in Europe, right?"

"Yes."

"Cool. You need to tell me more about it soon." Jessica stated before taking her seat in the last row, next to Ben. The boy exchanged a longing look with a dark-haired girl named Angela. Both of them had been secretly in love with each other for almost three years now but their shyness wasn't helping to get things further between the two of them.

"I'm sorry about Jess." Bella whispered to Alice, making the other girl's skin tingle as she brushed Alice's ear with her fingertip. "She likes talking a lot."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"Good. Do we have the rest of classes together as well?"

Alice pulled out the sheet of paper the principle had handed her in his office to take a closer look at it.

"Let me see. I have Spanish while you have French but then we'll have sport together again. Oh the joy. I hate sports. Do you like it?"

Alice shook her head. The truth was she liked sports, especially volleyball and hockey. What she didn't like was the thought of showering with a dozen other girls afterwards. No, there was no way she was going to do it. She needed to convince her father into writing her an attest for that class. He would do that. Wouldn't he?

"Alice? Do you want to skip sports? I don't want to risk twisting an ankle with this volleyball nonsense. My hand-eye-coordination is shitty."

"We can't just ditch." Alice mumbled nervously, as she began to read through a poem in her textbook. She had a liking for poetry. It helped her to deal with the emotions she couldn't express out loud.

Bella leaned over to whisper into Alice's ear. "Who said something about ditching? Just let me handle this for us."

The teacher entered the room and Bella's hand moved up.

"Miss Tanner? There is a problem with my little brother. My mother forgot to inform school that I need to pick him up from kindergarten today. It would only mean missing sports but if it means any trouble, I'm sure—"

"No, Bella, it's fine. I'll write you a note."

"Thank you, Miss Tanner. Could you write one for my stepsister as well? We have to share a car until my parents buy her one and you know how the bus connections are like."

"Kay, I'll do it. But it needs to stay an exception. I understand that your parents are busy, Bella, but they need to understand that your school education is more important than using you as a babysitter for your brother."

"Yes, Miss Tanner. I understand. I'll talk to my Mom. Thank you."

Bella grinned at Alice and the girl felt heat spreading into her lower abdomen. She tried to ignore it but she wasn't doing a very good job on it. Why was Bella making her so nervous anyway?

A couple of hours later the girls were on their way back to Eddie's kindergarten, both of them slurping on vanilla lattes they had gotten at Starbucks.

"Won't Renee be angry at us?"

"I don't think so. Please don't worry about her. My Mom is not very strict. I will tell her she asked me to pick up Eddie and she'll believe me. She is so harebrained she tends to forget that kind of stuff all the time."

"Okay, if you say so."

They stepped out of the car and entered the building. There was some yelling going on there and the loud sobbing of two boys was overpowering the voice of the agitated teacher.

"Bella! Oh thank god, you're here. Your brother is driving me insane."

"Eddie? Eddie, come here!" Bella called when she saw him cowering in a corner of the room, arguing with a little native boy whose hair was falling down greasy into his forehead.

"Bella, oh Bella, he bite me. Jake bite my hand. It hurts. He's so mean."

"I'm sorry. Let me take a look. Oh it's bleeding."

"I tried to put a band aid on it but he wouldn't let me." the teacher explained with an apologetic smile on her face. "I can't have Black and Eddie in one class. They're constantly fighting and it's Eddie who usually starts with the trouble."

"If you can't handle kids, you should consider your job." Bella snarled at the woman, before lifting Eddie up to carry him outside.

"Stupid bitch," she hisses as she placed the boy in the backseat. "That woman knows shit."

"Bitch," Eddie repeated after her. "She's a bitch."

"You're not supposed to say words like that, Eddie."

"But you use it."

"That's different. I'm older. Why were you fighting with Jake again? You know it's not nice."

"He bite my hand."

"Why did he do that?"

"I pushed him from the swing."

"Eddie! You can't do that."

"But he was on the swing forever and it was my turn. I always go on the swing before I go home."

"We'll talk about it when we get home. How's your hand?"

"Hurts when I wiggle my fingers,"

"Crap. We should bring him to the hospital so that Carlisle can take a look at it. Not that anything is sprained."

Their ride to the hospital was silent. Eddie told Alice in detail how much he disliked Jake. How he was never going to talk to him again and how he liked the boy's twin sisters that had just turned seven much more.

"Alice, I'm sorry, we had to come here. I'm used to babysitting the little monster but you—"

"It's fine. Eddie's my brother too."

"I don't want to be a monster. They're scary." Eddie said stamping his foot. "I don't want to be a monster."

"Then you need to be a good boy and stop pushing other kids from the swing and stuff like that."

"But Bella, Jake is always mean to me. You have to be on my side 'cause you're my sister. Alice, you're on my side, are you?"

"Yes, sweetie, but only if you promise not to hit anyone again, will you do that?"

"Maybe,"

Bella and the others took the elevator to Carlisle's office in the fifth floor but they found it empty.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" Carlisle's secretary asked them, looking up from her desk as they walked up the hall.

"I wanted Carlisle to take a quick look at Eddie's hand. It's probably nothing serious but I wanted to be sure."

"Oh no, problem, honey, I'll page one of the doctors to check on him. Your stepfather is probably still in surgery."

She fumbled around on her cell before she turned her attention to the girl and Eddie again.

"You must be Alice. I recognize you from the picture on your father's desk. How do you like it here in Florida?"

"Pretty good I think. Thank you. My father and his family are trying to make me feel very welcome."

"You are welcomed," Bella stated, placing her hand gently on Alice's shoulder as they made their way to the examination room Carlisle's secretary pointed them to wait in.

Alice shrugged back, the prickling on her skin irritating her completely.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked her. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"It's not about the gay thing, is it? I'm not trying to hit on you. I just want to make you feel at home."

"Why?"

"Because I know how it feels like to be the third wheel."

The door to the examination room was pulled open and a young doctor with beautiful caramel colored hair and a pair of black-framed glasses entered stepped in.

"Hello there. I'm Dr. Platt. Gianna said the Chief's son is here to get his hand checked."

Bella explained to the woman what had happened at Eddie's kindergarten. Dr. Platt put on some gloves and eventually she kneeled down in front of the boy, who had his face hidden against Alice's side now.

"You're not shy, are you? Just let me take a look at your hand. I'm going to make it better."

Hesitantly he turned his head, blinking at the young doctor. She cringed and dropped the kidney basin she was holding to the ground, making the iodine tincture splashing against her scrubs and Bella's jeans.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll pay for the dry cleaner."

"No harm done. Do you think he needs x-rays?"

"Yes! Yes, I want some. They're cool." Eddie called out, jumping up and down.

"Dr. Platt?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think he needs x-rays?" Bella asked again, trying to rub off the brown liquid with some paper towels. The jeans were ruined. She knew they were.

"June, 20th, his birthday is on June, 20th," Dr. Platt mumbled flipping through the chart. Her face turned pale, as if she was about to faint any second.

"Dr. Platt, is there some problem?" Carlisle asked in a sharp voice as he entered the room, turning his attention immediately to his little son.

"No, no, of course not, Dr. Cullen, I-I I was just-I wanted to-I mean-,"

"It's okay. I'll handle this. Go back to the E.R. and ask Dr. Volturi if he needs you. And change your scrubs. People will think you slaughtered a pig with all the iodine on you."

"Yes, Dr. Cullen." she whispered, her voice cracking with the tears she was trying to hold back as she rushed out of the room.

"You intimidated that poor woman." Bella stated, as he began to examine Eddie's hand carefully. "She's scared of you."

"All interns are scared of me. Dr. Platt is too sensitive for this job. Being a doctor is difficult. Now, Eddie, does your hand hurt badly? How did that happen?"

"Jake bite me."

"I'm sure you weren't innocent in that. I will put something on it to clean the wound. It will burn but you're trying to be brave, won't you?"

"Hand," he pleaded Alice, squeezing his unharmed hand tightly around two of her fingers. "Ouch that burns…it burns so much."

"I'm sorry, Eddie, but we don't want the bite to get infected." Carlisle told him, rubbing some cotton over the wound on Eddie's hand.

"I don't want it to burn,"

"Already done, now I get you a band aid and your sisters will take you home and give you some ice-cream."

"Yay! Ice-cream! Are you going to come with us, Daddy?"

"I have to stay here at work a little longer and handle some…_stuff_. But I'll see you later. Be good and do what Alice and Bella tell you to do."


	4. Chapter 4

[Disclaimer] SM still owns everything Twilight. I own a ticket for the marathon showing of BD2 and can't wait for November 17th to come here soon.

[A/N] It makes me happy that so many people have decided to give this story a try. Thank you. Please, don't expect anything perfect from me. I'm not even close to flawless writing, but this is supposed to be a learning experience for me. I still need an editor but it's difficult for me to find someone with whom I can work together.

Thanks to those of you that left me such encouraging feedback. I love having you by my side for this ride.

****4****

Alice wiped her sweaty hands on her shorts before she entered her father's office. He mostly used the small room in the basement of his house to have some alone time away from his chatty wife and the rest of the family. Much like his daughter, Carlisle Cullen had a tendency to keep to himself.

"Dad? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, honey." He told her looking up from a folder in his hands. Alice put a couple of medical magazines in a pile to make enough room on the ratty couch to sit on it.

"Can you write me an attest for sports?" she asked him while her teeth tortured her lips as she couldn't stop biting its tender skin in her nervousness. It was important to her to blend in here in Jacksonville. She didn't want to risk people at school finding out about her secret. Her Dad would understand things and write her the necessary papers to skip sports. He had to understand, right?

"Are you feeling sick?" Carlisle asked her, letting his eyes wander up and down on his first-born. She was too pale, but that would most likely change soon in a couple of weeks.

"No, I'm fine. I just need you to write me that attest."

"Honey, look, your sister tried the same thing. School sports are part of your education. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean-,"

"I like sports. It's not like this, Dad. Please, I just can't do sports at school."

"Why?"

"Because I'm different, Dad, I don't want to become the school freak over here. You can write me the attest or not but there is no way in hell I'm going to shower with a bunch of other girls."

"So this is about your penis-problem?"

Alice nodded her head and sighed. Then she leaned forward to press her palms against her eyes. She wasn't going to cry. But maybe crying would make her father feel so bad that he would write the attest?

"Honey, your mother and I, we tried to make you feel comfortable about yourself. It's not easy to be different from others, especially at your age, but you need to accept your body the way it is."

"That's easy to say for you."

"No, it's not. Look, I love you. I want you to be happy, Alice."

"Mom thinks you should have given permission for the doctors to remove that extra-leg when I was a baby."

"Your mother is not a surgeon. She doesn't think about the risks such a procedure is bringing with it. Do you know that people don't wake up from surgery? It happens every day and to let them perform an operation that is not medically necessary on a toddler, I didn't think that's a good idea."

"I'll be eighteen in a few weeks. Then I could get the surgery without your permission."

"I know. Why do you want to have the surgery? Does your penis bother you or is it the reaction of other people that bothers you?"

"Does it matter?"

"I think so,"

"Fine, Dad. I don't like the way, people react to it. It's not like there are many girls out there who have a penis. I want to be normal. I want someone to fall in love with me and have a relationship."

"Is this about that boy back in Biloxi, Jamie or whatever was his name? Your mother mentioned something about you and him dating for a couple of weeks."

"His name is James and I don't wish to talk about him."

"Okay, if you say so. See, Alice, when someone loves you, he will understand. Love makes people very accepting. I know it is that way."

Carlisle ended up writing the attest for his daughter and when Alice went to bed later that night she was feeling very relieved.

Bella who was sitting on her bed with her nose stuck between the pages of a thick book noticed her improved mood immediately.

"You seem happy."

"I'm good."

"That's nice. Have you finished your History essay? I'm not making any progress on mine. At least I have two more days until it is due."

"I didn't even start it yet."

"Maybe we could work on it together. You don't mind working as a team, do you?"

"No, that would be great. We could go to the library tomorrow after class."

"Fine, we'll go after sports. I have a couple of books to bring back to the library as well."

Bella placed the book on the floor next to her bed and rolled her shoulders back and forth a bit, wincing at the movement.

"You're okay?"

"Just a bit of a headache, I've been in a car crash last winter when I was visiting my father in Washington. My neck muscles still tend to become sore pretty soon. I've been reading here for hours."

"What's your book about?"

"Love,"

"Is it good?"

"You can ask me when I'm finished with it. Maybe you'll want to read it too, but you probably wouldn't."

"Why?"

"It's about two girls."

"Oh, right, makes sense for you to read that kind of literature."

Bella rolled her eyes at Alice's comment. Yes, she did prefer girls to boys, even if she still hadn't found a girl at school who had caught her interest enough. The right one was out there somewhere for her, and she knew the two of them would find each other. True love always found its way. At least it did so in the stories Bella kept reading in every minute she could spare.

"Have you ever been in love?" she asked her stepsister while she began to rub her left shoulder with both hands.

"No, I haven't, not really." Alice confessed. Then she stood up from her own bed and walked over to Bella. "Have you?"

"I don't think so. How do you know you're in love?"

"I think when you love someone, you just know." Alice said. She cleared her throat and sat down next to Bella on the bed. "Do you want me to massage your neck? I'm good at that."

At first Bella was skeptical. Her stepsister was giving her the impression that she didn't like the fact that she was gay. So why was she trying to be nice to her like this? Alice assured her that her mother, Irina, was working as a physical therapist and that she had shown her a lot of stuff. So, Bella agreed to let Alice massage her neck.

She pulled her sweatshirt over her head and noticed how Alice's cheeks turned a bit red when she saw the blue lace bra Bella was wearing underneath it.

"Lay down on your stomach. Do you have some massage oil here?"

"I think Renee has some of this stuff in her bathroom. She won't mind if we use a bit of it."

"Good. I'll be right back." She told Bella before carefully placing a blanket over the girl's bare back. Such a lovely back, Alice thought. She wanted to run her tongue down her stepsister's spine and taste its skin but she knew it was impossible.

On her way to her parents bathroom she walked passed their bedroom and as the door was slightly ajar she could hear them talking to each other.

"Are you sure, it's her?" Renee asked her husband. "I thought her name was Evanson?"

"Maybe she changed it after her divorce. What do I know? Either way we need to decide what we want to do about the fact that she's living in the same town now."

"We could set up a meeting."

"I don't want Eddie to meet his biological mother. He's too young to understand the whole adoption thing."

"We could try to explain it to him. He's a smart kid, and he knows how much we love him."

"Renee, it's called a closed adoption because it's closed. We're going to tell Eddie he's adopted once he's old enough to understand it. Then, when he turns eighteen, it's his choice whether he wants to have any contact with Dr. Platt or not."

"I feel so bad for her."

"For what? That woman made her decision five years ago. Now, she has to deal with its consequences."

"Is she a good doctor?"

"What does it matter? Look, I don't want to talk about Dr. Platt tonight. This is my last night at home before my nightshift starts."

"Well, then we should probably make good use of it. Shouldn't we?"

Alice rushed to the bathroom and leaned her overheated feeling face against the green tiles. She had noticed the awkward reaction of the young doctor when they were at the hospital. Now, it turned out the woman was her brother's biological mother. Why had Renee and Carlisle decided to adopt a baby instead of having one of their own? Was her father scared another kid could turn out like her?

Thinking of this made her sad. She searched the shelf for the massage oil, deciding to take one that smelled deliciously of coconut. Then she returned to the room she shared with Bella and sat down on the edge of her stepsister's bed.

"I hope you like smelling like coconut." Alice stated as she put the lid from the bottle and held it underneath Bella's nose. "It's pretty sweet."

"I like sweet." Bella mumbled before letting her head fall down on the pillows again.

"Good. Try to relax. I'll be gentle."

Alice warmed the oil between her hands before placing them on Bella's neck. She could feel how the muscles were cramped under the smooth skin and after circling her fingers over it for a few minutes she began to apply a bit more pressure.

"Ohhh,"

"Too much? I don't want to hurt you but we should try to loosen those muscles again somehow."

"It doesn't hurt. It feels nice. You're not going to stop now, are you?"

"No," Alice whispered, moving her hands a bit lower on Bella's back. She tried to focus on her movements. Bella was pretty and pretty much half-naked at the moment. It made her uncomfortable somehow. She could feel herself getting hard and suppressed a moan. Alice's fingertips reached the clasp of Bella's bra and stopped abruptly. What the hell was wrong with her?

"I think that's enough for now." She managed to press out before mumbling some excuse about needing the bathroom. There she quickly locked herself in and pulled down her shorts before sitting down on the closed toilet lid. Her right hand closed around her hard shaft, palming it rather roughly while she pressed her other hand against her mouth to stiffen her moans. Alice could smell the coconut oil on her fingers, combined with a bit of Bella's very own scent. It was even more appealing to the girl. Alice's hand moved up and down, her thumb rolling over the sensitive tip, smearing the wetness that was leaking there down to the base. Her body shuddered as she climaxed into her palm a couple of minutes later.

She washed her sticky release from her fingers and splashed some icy water into her face before she returned to Bella.

"Are you okay? You've been gone forever." Bella asked, sitting up straight in her bed.

"Nervous stomach,"

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Alice, you don't have to eat the crap my mother is cooking. She's terrible in the kitchen and shouldn't be allowed to get near a stove at all."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"Do you want me to make you a chamomile tea?"

"No, thank you. I just want to crash now. Is your neck a bit better?"

"Actually it is. Thanks for the massage. It was amazing."

"You're welcome." Alice said as she lay down on her bed and pulled the thin blanket over her.

"That doctor in the hospital was weird somehow, wasn't she? Carlisle intimidated her. I'm definitely going to work in another hospital when I'm done with Med School."

"You want to be a doctor?"

"Maybe, I'd like to become one but it's quite difficult. My grades are good but not good enough."

"I'm sure my Dad would write you a recommendatory letter. He knows so many people."

"I don't want that. I want to make it on my own. Carlisle doesn't even know I'm considering becoming a doctor. You're actually the first person, I've told about it."

"I feel honored."

"It's just easy to talk to you somehow. I never had something like a best friend before."

"What about Jessica?"

"She's fun but you can't tell her anything if you are not willing to share this information with the rest of the school. I don't want her to know I'm gay."

"Is she your type?"

"Jess? I don't think so. I can't see her like that. It's probably because I have known her half of my life."

"I see. You'll find someone you like, I'm sure about that."

"What about you?" Bella asked Alice curiously.

"What about me?"

"Well, you could meet someone too. The boys at school seemed to like you."

"I'm not interested in dating anyone." Alice answered quickly. She turned on her stomach and closed her eyes, pretending she was falling asleep. She could hear Bella standing up and switching off the light. Then she felt a warm hand on her face for a moment, as Bella pushed her curls out of her forehead.

"Good night, Alice." she whispered softly before she tip-toed back to the other side of the room. It didn't take long until the steady sound of Bella's breaths managed to lull Alice into a deep dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] I want to send a big hug to all of you that left me such nice feedback on the last chapter. It makes me happy that you seem to like the storyline for this project. Thanks for your interest in my work. I love having you by my side.

_FAQ's_

Alice and her genitals…

Does she have a vagina too?

Yes, she has. Alice has all the parts a girl has. The only thing she doesn't have is a clitoris.

Does she have testicles?

Maybe inside her body but surely not where they would usually be,

I hope you can imagine how she looks like a bit better now. I'm curious how long it takes until someone asks about her _size_...

****5****

Alice realized that her stepsister was a smart girl while the two of them worked together on their History report. It seemed to be easy for Bella to memorize things and her only weakness was that she had a tendency to be a bit too dreamy now and then. There was another thing Alice noticed and that one made her heart flutter excited in her chest.

She found the brown-haired girl next to her attractive in a way that was completely unacceptable. Bella was pretty and Alice couldn't stop looking at the other girl's face while Bella had her eyes focused on the book in front of them.

"Do you need a break?" Bella asked suddenly while she nibbled on the end of her pen, leaving tiny marks on it with her front teeth.

"Yes, sure, we could have some coffee in the café across the street." Alice answered, standing up from her chair.

Bella turned around and Alice's face turned red as she got a pretty close view on Bella's backside.

When the girls were sitting in front of two vanilla lattes a few minutes later Alice kept wondering if her fascination with Bella meant she was a lesbian or at least bisexual. She had never spent much time questioning her own sexuality. Love was love for her.

"Are you tired?"

"What?"

"Are you tired, Alice? You seem so…I don't know, in thoughts kind of."

"I was just thinking about some stuff."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Alice added some extra sugar in her coffee and stirred around in the cup for a moment before she cleared her throat.

"How did you find out you're gay?" she whispered unable to hold Bella's gaze.

"Why do you want to know? Does it make you feel uncomfortable?"

Bella's cell went on and she pulled it out to read through the new text while Alice quickly assured her that she had zero problems with her stepsister's homosexuality.

What she had a problem with was the fact that she could be a lesbian herself. It would be difficult enough for her to find a guy that was willing to accept her the way she was. But how big were her chances of making a gay girl accept her with her penis? It seemed impossible to Alice.

"Jess, texted me her parents will be out of town for the weekend. She's throwing a party. Do you want to go?" Bella asked taking a sip from her drink.

"If you want to," Alice mumbled trying to ignore the beginning tightening in her lower abdomen as she watched Bella lick a tiny drop of milk foam from her upper lip.

"Great. I'm sure it will be fun." Bella stated before she typed a reply into her phone.

"Hmm," Alice began. "There is something I wanted to tell you. Last night when I went to get that massage oil, I kind of accidentally overheard a conversation between my dad and your mom."

"Did she call him Dr. Cullen in a slutty voice? Jeez, these two are embarrassing. It's gross to think that old people are still jumping each other's bones."

"No, it wasn't like that. Do you remember that doctor who was supposed to fix Eddie's hand in the hospital? My dad thinks Dr. Platt is Eddie's birth mom."

"For shit?"

"Yep," Alice said, popping the last letter a bit too loud. "But they don't know whether to allow her to see the boy. Renee feels sorry for her. But my dad, he thinks Eddie is too young to understand the situation."

"He's right about that. I don't want Eddie to be sad when he finds out he's adopted. It never made any difference to me. He's just my little baby brother and I want to protect him."

Bella's brown eyes became a warm glow while she spoke of her brother and Alice realized that Bella was the kind of person who was determined to protect the people she loved. How would it be to have someone to protect her that way?

No one had ever protected her. Not really. Her mother loved her but she had spent her entire life blaming her ex-husband for the fact that their daughter had to live with her abnormity. Carlisle on the other hand had always told her he loved her the way she was, that she needed to love herself the way she was. Nature had created her like that. Her penis wasn't causing her any pains, so why get rid of it?

"Stop biting that spoon. I'm sure they'll serve cake here as well. We could share some." Bella suggested cheerfully, making Alice blush again as she smiled warmly at the girl across the table.

"Apple pie?"

"It's my favorite."

"Really? That's my favorite too."

They ordered a piece and while Alice began to eat it slowly, Bella sighed deeply.

"You're nice, but difficult to read. It's probably because you're shy, right?"

"I'm not shy." Alice protested. "I just like to keep to myself. I made some rather unpleasant experiences when I trusted the wrong people."

"Once bitten twice shy,"

"If you want to put it like that—yes,"

"Wow, that's sad."

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. Trust is important. Do you trust me?"

"To a certain extent, I do. It's difficult for me to trust anyone."

"I see. Then I will try to make it easy for you to trust me and be a good friend for you."

"Why would you want to be my friend?"

"Easy. First, you're my stepsister and as we're going to live under one roof for the next couple of months, stuck in one bedroom, I really want us to get along. Second, you're cute somehow. You seem like such a caring person. Like you're always eating that un-eatable stuff Renee is cooking, even when it makes you sick."

"You really like me?" Alice asked, her face glowing with heat.

"I do and when you blush like this, I like you even more somehow."

The girls finished their cake and returned home, deciding that they would complete their essays tomorrow after school.

"Can I ask you something? Why do you have a sport attest?"

"I…I had some knee surgery a few years ago. This jumping around during volleyball is not good for it."

"Lucky you, I wished I had a damaged knee." Bella told her stepsister as she parked the car in front of their parents' house.

"Bella! You're home. Finally!"

"Hey, little lion, how's it going?" Bella greeted her brother as she kneeled down in front of him. "Is your hand better?"

"It's okay. Bella you have to tell Mom we can't eat hamburgers for dinner. Hamburger is made from cows. Did you know that?"

Bella lifted him up and carried him inside the house where Renee was already busy in the kitchen. It smelled of burned onions and Alice quickly moved the pan from the stove.

"Hi girls, it's good your back. How was school?"

"Like usually. Oh before I forget it. There is a party at Jessica's place this Friday. Can we go?"

"Of course, honey. Alice, you'll go to. You need to get to know some people here."

Bella noticed some tofu standing on the counter and decided that she needed to safe her brother's dinner before Renee ruined it with putting too much pepper on it or something like that.

"Eddie is pretty determined on this vegan food stuff." Renee said when the boy rushed into the living room to jingle on the piano that was standing there.

"It's just a phase. Like this piano playing thing." Bella told her mother while she began to pull out plates and glasses to set the table.

"But he has talent." Renee protested, cutting some tomatoes into thin slices.

"My ears don't hear any talent, just awful noise."

"Oh Isabella, don't be like that. He'll get better if he practices more. Alice, tell her that he plays well for a five-year-old."

"He plays fine."

"The two of you are deaf."

The phone started ringing and while Renee picked it up, Alice managed to let the burned onions disappear in the trash under the sink.

"Hi Darling, are you going to be here for dinner? No? But I'm making hamburgers with that new electro grill I ordered online. You did what?" Renee's voice raised and when she continued speaking the words came out sharp like knifes.

"You can't do that! It's not fair. You can't just fire that poor woman. Listen to me, Mr. Cullen, we'll talk about this when you get home tonight, no matter how late it is. Hmm, yes, I love you to. Bye."

"Something wrong, Mom?"

"Nothing, sweetie, everything is fine." she mumbled, wiping her hands on a towel. "I'll be right back."

The girls stared after her as she walked up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Crap, I hate when they're fighting. It's so awful." Bella said as she placed the tofu burgers on the grill.

"Where is Mommy?" Eddie asked entering the kitchen.

"She'll be back in a minute. Do you want to drink milk?"

"Milk is for baby cows. I don't want to drink away their milk."

"But milk is good for you."

"I don't want milk. Can I have apple juice?"

"Juice is bad for your teeth."

"You're stupid! Alice, you'll be my favorite sister if you give me apple juice."

"I thought I'm your favorite sister."

"Only if you give me juice, like I told you. I'm thirsty."

"Stop being a brat. I'll give you some water. Don't dare to spit it out again."

"I hate you."

"Eddie, you can't talk to Bella like that. It's not nice."

"Sorry, Bella,"

She leaned down and kissed his hair, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"No kissies. They're yucky."

"We talk about that when you're a bit older. Kisses are nice, aren't they, Alice?"

"Depends on whom you kiss," Alice said with a bitter undertone in her light voice. She remembered the last person, well the only person she had kissed properly in her life and this memory wasn't exactly a good one.

"Bella, kiss Alice. She'll tell you if it's jucky." Eddie suggested innocently.

Bella laughed, then she crossed the distance between her and Alice and within a flash she pressed her lips to Alice's cheek. It was only a split second but it was enough to startle Alice enough to drop the salad bowl she was holding.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she called out in embarrassment.

"About that old thing? Don't think about it. I'll clean this up. Can you help Eddie to set the table? He needs to learn what goes on which side." Bella told her, gently petting the smaller girl's shoulder.

Alice nodded her head and pulled Eddie with her while Bella kneeled down to pick up the pieces of broken glass and salad. She hadn't meant to startle Alice like this. The little peck on the cheek was supposed to be fun, nothing more. She touched her mouth with her fingertip, her lips seeming to vibrate as she thought how soft Alice's skin had felt against them...


	6. Chapter 6

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks to all of you who took the time to leave a review. I appreciate your interest in my little story here and feel blessed to have you by my side.

_FAQ's_

How big is the penis?

Big enough to satisfy all of Bella's…ahm…needs, once we'll make it to the smutty parts of this story.

What does Alice pee out of?

Her urethra goes through her penis. That's one of the reasons, why the surgery to remove the penis wouldn't be without risks.

Is it easier to write a Futa story?

No, it's not. It's actually more difficult because I'm worried I might offend some people by writing it. Intersexuality is a sensitive subject. Anyway, I like the romantic idea that love is strong enough to overcome obstacles and that's what I enjoy writing about in my stories.

****6****

Jessica was a popular girl and so the small house of the Stanley family was already crowded with half of the school when Bella and Alice arrived. There was loud music playing and Eric was just about to pour some liquor into the punch that was standing on the kitchen counter.

"Hi ladies," he greeted them happily. "Good to see you around. Do you want a drink?"

The girls decided on some diet cokes instead of trying the punch. Jessica swirled down the stairs, her pretty face sweaty from excitement.

"There you are! Nice outfit, Alice. You should try to influence Bella a bit. She'll never get a boyfriend if she doesn't learn how to dress up a bit."

Bella rolled her eyes at that. She didn't care at all if her outfits would attract any male admirers.

"I think Bella looks pretty the way she is." Alice stated, playing around with the spikey ends of her curls. Her eyes quickly moved down Bella's body, resting a hint too long on the girl's chest.

"You have to say something like that because she's your stepsister." Jessica said while she filled some popcorn into a big plastic bowl.

She put an arm around Alice's shoulder and pulled the girl with her to the living room. "You are so shy. It's cute! You need to tell me which of the boys you like. I'm a pro at setting people up with each other."

"I don't think I like any of them more than on a friendly basis." Alice answered Jessica, sitting down on the end of a couch.

"What kind of boys do you like? Do you prefer older ones?"

"Jessica, stop questioning her. It's embarrassing for her. Can't you see that?"

"No, it's not. Alice, you don't mind me asking you, are you?"

Alice nodded her head and slurped on her coke.

"See, Bella? She doesn't mind. I'd like to know what your type is, Bells. You're probably still waiting for the prince on his white horse."

"I'm actually scared of horses since I fell down from one as a kid and broke my arm." Bella explained, sitting down next to Alice on the couch.

Tyler jumped over the edge of the couch, forcing the girls apart. He seemed a bit drunk and when he planted a kiss on Bella's cheek, she smelled the alcohol on his breath.

"Stop that, Tyler. You're gross." she told him trying to push him off the couch again.

"I'm hot. You wish you could have me." Tyler told her. Then he lifted a DVD in the air and waved with it. "Look what I found in Jess's parents room. It's porn!"

"Idiot, I told you to stay away from their stuff. Give me the movie back, before you damage it." Jessica snarled at him.

"Can't we watch it?" Mike suggested, stepping a bit closer. His arms were wrapped around Lauren's middle and Jessica's eyes narrowed angrily. Yes, it was over between them. That didn't give him permission to fumble around on the school slut in front of her.

"Yeah, let's watch it." Tyler called out. "Folks, come here. We're going to watch hot porn here!"

Jessica put the movie into the DVD player and pressed start. Two girls on a bed appeared on the screen, their eyes focused on a thick book that was lying in front of them.

"Dyke action!" Mike exclaimed. "Lesbians are so hot."

"Scroll forward. I don't want to see this talking crap." Tyler said, lifting a bottle of beer to his lips.

Bella turned her head to the side, her cheeks flaming a bright pink as one of the girls began to undress the other. So, this was how sex with another woman was going to be like?

The action in the movie did little to excite her. It was too cold, too sterile and the loud screams of the faked climaxes hurt her ears painfully. This was so ridiculous.

Alice was trying hard not to get hard in the presence of all the others. She was glad that she had already taken care of herself in the shower before they had gone to the party but now she could feel the familiar tightening in her lower abdomen beginning again. She was close to getting her period and during this time of month her interest in sex was even higher than usually.

"Jessica, where's your bathroom?"

"Upstairs, third room one the right side."

"I'm coming with you." Bella told her stepsister, following Alice upstairs. She was glad to have an excuse to get away from that awful movie.

After she was done in the bathroom, Alice washed her hands and applied some lip-balm on her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked her as she opened the door again.

"Yes, sure, I'm not fond of watching porn though." Alice confessed shyly.

"Do you think that's how sex is like?"

"I don't know. I never…well, I never."

"So, have I. I just hope I won't make noises like that during my first time."

"Like a pig being slaughtered, right?"

"Exactly,"

Bella took Alice's hand as they walked down the stairs again. The porn was off now. Someone had pushed the couch and the table against the wall to make more room. A couple of people were sitting in a circle on the floor.

"Girls! Come here, we're going to play." Jessica told them.

"We're going to play what?" Bella asked, sitting down next to Angela on the carpet. Jessica held an empty bottle up and grinned. "This is going to be fun."

"I don't know, Jess."

"Oh come on, Bella. Don't be a party pooper. Alice, you're playing too, aren't you?"

"Yes, why not?" Alice whispered, kneeling down between Bella and Mike.

Everyone cheered as the bottle began to swirl around on the floor. When it stilled, Angela squeaked nervously.

"Now, let's see whom you are going to kiss, Angie." Jessica called out, before turning the bottle again. "Oh, Ben, it's you. Up, in the middle with you and kiss the girl before she runs off."

Ben's face was red as he cupped Angela's face in both of his hands. "Don't run from me," he whispered before he hesitantly placed his lips on hers.

Jessica clapped her hands together, a satisfied smile flashing over her face. She placed the bottle on the ground again and kept her eyes on it as it continued to turn around and around, finally stopping with the bottle neck pointing towards Mike.

"It's your turn. Now, let's find out who's the poor person that will have to kiss you. I already feel sorry for him or her."

She gave the bottle another kick and when it stopped in front of Bella, he grinned sheepishly.

"Seems like this is your lucky day, Swan," he stated, standing up from the ground.

Bella stiffened and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"This is stupid. I'm not going to kiss Mike."

"You have to," Mike told her, grabbing her wrist. "Don't be a prude. You're going to like it."

"Stop touching her." Alice said, her voice cracking slightly. "If she doesn't want to kiss you, it's her choice."

"You're a prude, Swan."

"Mind your own business. Jess, we're leaving. Your ex is getting on my nerves."

She grabbed her jacket and pulled Alice outside with her, sighing deeply when she searched for the keys to her car.

"How embarrassing! The entire school is going to laugh about me on Monday."

Alice assured her that no one would remember that incident and if yes, she shouldn't give a shit about it. They drove back home. When they opened the door, they could hear their parents arguing with each other in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Renee."

"You said that before. It doesn't change things."

"I shouldn't have let Irina talk me into getting that vasectomy. It was a mistake. She didn't want to risk having another child after Alice."

"I know. You never told me why though."

"Darling, it's complicated." Carlisle began hesitantly. Then he noticed Bella and Alice standing in the doorframe. "Oh, you're already back, girls. How was the party?"

"It was okay. We're going to bed now. Eddie is probably going to wake us up at sunrise. I promised him, I would go to the zoo with him this Saturday." Bella said.

A few minutes later she and Alice were sitting on Bella's bed, both of them dressed in their pajamas.

"Why didn't you want to kiss Mike?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, it doesn't. I'm just curious somehow."

Bella nibbled on her lower lip and sighed deeply. "I was scared. I don't want my first kiss to be like this. In front of all of my friends, who are cheering to it? That's not really romantic."

"You never kissed anyone?

"Have you?"

Alice nodded her head and placed her hand gently on Bella's forearm. "If you kiss someone who knows how to kiss it's quite pleasurable."

"I bet I'll suck at it. What are you supposed to do with your tongue during it? Or what if I accidently throw up? My gag reflex is pretty strong."

"It's not about thrusting your tongue inside the other one's mouth as deep as possible." Alice explained to Bella.

"But how am I supposed to know what to do, if I've never done it before? I'm going to embarrass myself terribly. I just know, I will."

"You won't. Don't worry."

Bella's eyes moved to Alice's full lips that even without any lipstick on them were a warm reddish color.

"Show me," she whispered. The words leaving her mouth before her brain had enough time to re-think them.

"You want me to show you how to kiss?" Alice whispered huskily. "For real?"

Bella wrapped her hands gently around Alice's neck and nodded her head.

"Just to show me, okay? No one needs to know."

"Kay," Alice murmured. "I'm glad that I'm your first kiss and not Mike."

She kissed Bella's mouth softly, her lips fluttering over the other girl's lips. It was sweet and very innocent, yet the kiss sent jolts of electricity throughout Alice's entire body. Instinctively her tongue moved out to caress Bella's lower lip, asking for permission to explore her stepsister's mouth. With a sigh, the brunette parted her lips and the moment she felt the tip of Alice's tongue against her own, heat spread down her spine. It was so intense that she pulled Alice closer, not wanting this feeling to end way too soon.

Finally it was Alice who broke the contact of their lips, quickly turning away from Bella to hide her erection. This kiss had set her blood on fire.

She jumped from Bella's bed and pulled the blankets and pillows over her lap as she sat down on her own bed.

"What's wrong? Are you angry at me?"

"No, I'm not. Everything is fine. The kiss wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I have nothing to compare it to."

"I know. Maybe, we should try to sleep now. Can you switch off the light?"

In the security of darkness Alice rolled on her back, her hand moving under the blanket to touch her pulsing length. She needed to wait until Bella would fall asleep. Then she could rush to the bathroom and rub herself to a mind-blowing climax. Alice's mouth was warm from the kiss, even several minutes later when she could hear a low snoring noise coming from the direction of Bella's bed.

As quietly as she could, Alice stood up. She noticed that Bella had tossed her blanket to the ground and was hugging her pillow tightly against her chest. It looked adorable and for a moment Alice just stood there, unable to keep her eyes away from Bella.

"I'm really glad, I was your first kiss." she whispered more to herself than to the sleeping girl in front of her before she walked out of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] We broke the 100th review mark. That makes me really happy. I'm thrilled that so many of you are reading this story. It makes writing it so much fun.

FAQ's

What would you consider an acceptable length for Alice's penis? Isn't it more about the technique than about the size?

Does Bella get wet at all?

She does. But for her it is easier to focus on her erection when she's aroused.

****7****

Bella felt as if she was sick. Her stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies and when she closed her eyes and memorized the kiss with her stepsister heat flushed through her body.

"Isabella, are you alright?"

She cringed and looked up at her mother's concerned face. Renee Swan-Cullen wasn't the overly motherly type, but she had an instinct to sense it when something was wrong with one of her children.

"Mom, it's nothing."

"Oh sweetie, don't be like your father and keep everything to yourself. Tell me what's bothering you."

Bella walked over to the fridge to get some milk. Then she poured a bit of it over her granola.

"The milk has gone bad." she stated, shoving the bowl aside a moment later.

"It's not. That's soy milk. I bought it for Eddie." Renee explained.

"There is no way the kid is going to drink this yucky stuff."

"We'll see. Maybe it makes him want to have normal milk again though."

"Yep, maybe it will." Bella said. She stood up and threw the granola into the trash under the sink. She was way too agitated to eat anyway. Her stomach felt as if she had just ridden a roller coaster.

"Mom, how's it like to be in love?"

"Oh, how exciting! My baby-girl has all grown up now."

"Mom! You're not very helpful."

"Okay, okay. I try to keep the embarrassing Mom down a bit. Why are you asking about this? Have you met someone?"

Bella hesitated. Her mother was pretty open-minded but she was sure that Renee wouldn't approve of her daughter developing a crush on her husband's daughter.

"Tell me all about it." Renee demanded, taking a sip from the coffee in front of her. "Is she a girl from your school?"

"Yes," Bella whispered. "But it's complicated."

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Nope,"

"Does she have a girlfriend?"

"No, she doesn't. She's single like me, but I don't know if we'd make a good match."

"Well, you never find out, if you don't give it a try. Do you know if she likes girls?"

Bella could hear steps on the stairs and quickly told her mother not to mention anything in front of Alice. Renee rolled her eyes at that. Her Isabella was so shy sometimes.

"Good Morning, Alice. Do you want some eggs?"

Alice shook her head and murmured something about not being hungry this morning. She hadn't slept well, even after masturbating in the bathroom. Again and again, she had replayed the kiss in her head. It made her heart flutter in her chest.

It was just like an experiment. She told herself. It didn't mean anything. It wasn't supposed to mean anything, but it did. At least it meant something to Alice.

"Bella, can you get Eddie? He's playing in the garden."

When Bella was out of sight, Renee turned to her stepdaughter.

"You know, we want to have you here, right? I really, want you to be happy living with us. Your father seemed a bit concerned whether you would get along with Bella. She can be difficult sometimes."

"Bella is nice. I like her." Alice told Renee, her eyes focused on the cup of black coffee in front of her.

Eddie and Bella returned, the boy's hair glistening with fresh raindrops because he had been running around in the rain. He pulled some candy out of the pockets of his shorts and began nibbling on it.

"Sweetie, what are you eating there? Bella, you know, he can't eat candy before breakfast."

"I didn't give him anything."

"There was a woman at my kindergarten yesterday. She gave it to me."

"What?" Renee called out, kneeling down in front of her son. She made him hand the rest of the candy back to her, closing her fist tightly around it. "Eddie, have you forgotten how we talked about strangers and how you're not allowed to accept anything from them?"

"But it's candy,"

"Eddie, I mean it. Maybe that woman is evil and likes to hurt kids. That candy could be poisoned."

"Like the apple in Snow White?"

"Yes, just like that."

"But the woman was pretty. She wasn't a witch. Witches are ugly. Everyone knows that."

Renee sighed and stood up from the ground. "Look, I have to leave now. I promised your father, I would attend this brunch they're having in the hospital. You girls take care of Eddie for me, will you?"

"Sure, Renee, no problem," Alice stated, running her hand over Eddie's hair. It was too long for a boy. Maybe she should cut it. Would he let her?

"Since when do you want to go to any of those hospital Brunches? You said you find them boring." Bella asked her mother while Renee put on a pair of black high heels.

"Well, there is someone I wanted to meet there. I don't know if it's a good idea, but anyway. Look, after the little one. Carlisle and I will be back in the afternoon."

She hugged her daughter quickly and walked out of the door. Just seconds later, the engine of Renee's old BMW rattled to live.

"Now, what are the three of us going to do today?" Bella asked Eddie as she returned to the kitchen. Somehow she didn't manage to look Alice in the eye. It felt too intimate to her. If she looked at her for just a split second too long, Alice would notice what was going on inside Bella's head. Bella couldn't let that happen.

"Zoo!" Eddie called out cheerfully. "You promised we'd go to the zoo today. Alice can come with us."

"It's raining. No one goes to the zoo when it rains."

"I do!"

"You'd get sick and then you'll have to stay in bed for an entire week. Do you want that to happen?"

"No,"

"Go and pick a movie we can watch. I'll clean up here first."

The boy rushed off and Bella loaded the dishwasher. She put the disgusting soy milk back into the fridge and wiped the kitchen table clean.

"Are you mad at me?" Alice asked her in a nervous voice. "You're ignoring me."

"I'm not. I just feel awkward around you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe, it's because of what happened last night."

Alice nodded her head and sighed. "The kiss didn't mean anything. I was just trying to show you how it's done."

"Yes, sure, I didn't mean that it meant anything to me. It was nice though. Wasn't it?"

"Bored! I'm bored!" Eddie called from the living room. Bella rinsed some grapes under the faucet and put them in a bowl before she and Alice went to the living room. Eddie was sitting on the floor in front of the flat screen and held a DVD up to Bella.

"I want to watch that movie about the unicorn."

"Okay, we'll watch it. But you shouldn't sit so close to the screen. It's bad for your eyes."

"If I get blind, will Dad buy me a guide dog?"

"Let's hope you won't get blind. Come sit on the couch with me and Alice.

He nodded silently and sat down on Bella's right side, resting his head against his sister's arm.

"You need to hold my hand when the red bull comes up." He told Bella before leaning forward to put a grape in his mouth. "Alice, if you get scared, you can hold Bella's other hand."

Bella started the movie and tried not to stare over to the dainty girl sitting to her left. Alice was nervous. Her palms were sweating and she wanted nothing more than to reach over and take Bella's hand in hers. The movie was sad and in a way it made Alice feel horribly alone. She would always be alone. Wouldn't she? Who would love her the way she was?

"Bella, why is Alice crying?" Eddie asked worriedly. "Is she scared?"

Alice sobbed and quickly raised her hand to her eyes to wipe away the tears. Bella wrapped her arm around her stepsister and pulled her gently against her chest.

"You don't have to cry. It's just a movie."

"Yeah, the red bull is not real. You don't need to be scared." Eddie stated, stuffing another hand full of grapes in his mouth to chew them loudly.

"I'm sorry," Alice croaked. "I always cry so easily. It's embarrassing."

"It's cute. It means you are sensitive. I like that in a person."

With a sigh, Alice stood up from the couch and rushed up the stairs, locking herself in the bathroom. She sat down on the cold floor and cried. Her chest felt too tight. It was as if she couldn't breathe freely.

There was a knock on the door, followed by the cracking noise of someone breaking the lock.

"Are you hurt?" Bella asked, kneeling down next to her on the ground.

"No, I'm fine. I just don't want Eddie to see me like this. It's embarrassing."

"That you're crying because of the movie? That's okay. Renee weeps like a baby anytime, something sappy is on."

"It's not because of the movie." Alice told Bella, grabbing some toilet-paper to clean her nose. "It's because of me. Everything's so fucked up. I'm fucked up."

"You're not. Tell me what's wrong with you. I'm your friend. You can tell me everything."

Alice knew Bella's words were wrong. She could probably tell her a lot but definitely not everything. The fear of being rejected or Bella being disgusted about Alice's secret, terrified the young woman more than anything.

"I'm different." she started after a few moments. "I don't want people to know I'm different."

Bella raised her hand and caressed Alice's cheek. It was still moist from the crying. "I understand." she whispered softly. "I know how it's like to be different than others."

She pressed her lips against Alice's mouth, just to pull back a moment later. "You're like me."

"Bella, I…I…," Alice couldn't bring out the words. Not with Bella's mouth so close to hers. She wanted to tell her everything. Tell her everything about herself. But she wanted to feel Bella's mouth on her even more. So, she didn't say anything. Instead she kissed Bella. Their tongues exploring each other's mouth until both of them were moaning softly.

"We can't do this. I can't do this." Alice stated sadly, when she managed to break the contact of their lips.

"Is it because we're both girls? Or because we're stepsisters?"

It's because I have a dick! Alice yelled in her head. It would make you freak if you'd know.

"Hey, don't be scared. Our parents don't need to know. It can be our secret."

"Bella! I'm thirsty! What are you and Alice doing up there so long?"

"I have to check on him before he damages anything. Are you coming with me?"

Alice washed her face and Bella hugged her from behind, planting a kiss on Alice's cheek. "I know you're scared. Didn't you know you were gay?"

"I never thought much about it."

"Well, then I'm glad, I gave you something to think about." Bella told Alice before she went down the stairs. For a few moments Alice remained in front of the mirror, her face looking back at her with an unfamiliar smile upon it.

"You need to tell her," she whispered to herself, touching the glass in front of her. She washed her face again and sighed. Bella liked her. She couldn't risk losing that. No one had cared about her in such a long time. Why couldn't she have a tiny bit of happiness before it would be taken away from her? She had to risk it and decided that she wouldn't mention the penis to Bella for as long as possible.

XOXXOXXOXXXOXXOXO

[A/N] So, Alice is Bella's secret now and Alice is determined to keep her secret from Bella. Let's see how this turns out.

The movie the girls are watching with Eddie in this chapter is called "The last Unicorn." It's honestly the sweetest comic movie ever. Lady Amalthea was my kindergarten crush. She's so pretty.

Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend.


	8. Chapter 8

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] I want to hug all of you who keep posting such lovely, encouraging reviews. You are amazing readers and I feel blessed to have you by my side.

****8****

Dr. Esme Ann Platt's life was perfect. Well, at least it appeared perfect if you looked on it from outside and didn't bother to scratch the thin layer of a polished surface. She had graduated with honors from University and was highly cherished by both, the other doctors and the patients she was treating.

Making it through Med School had been difficult for her and whenever her eyes wandered to the Diploma on the wall of the tiny office she was sharing with three other Interns, she kept wondering how she actually achieved this. No one had believed she would, especially not him.

Him was her abusive ex-husband Charles. The scars on her body would never vanish completely. Just like the memory of the years of humiliation. His constant promises of getting his temper issues under control. It never happened. Esme's hand moved down to her lower abdomen and pain cramped inside of her. How was she supposed to forget she had given birth to a child, when the stretch marks reminded her constantly of it? She could still smell the faint scent of her baby when she remembered the only time she had held him right after the birth.

Edward that was the name his adoptive parents had chosen to give to him. It was a pretty boy. He had her hair…

"Dr. Platt, would you be willing to grant me your attention?" Carlisle snarled at the young woman, making her drop the thick staple of files she was holding down from the table.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen. Did I miss anything you've said?"

"You need to learn to concentrate better, Miss Platt."

"It's still Dr. Platt for you, Dr. Cullen."

"We'll see, we'll see. Have you considered my offer to finish your internship in a hospital in Boston?"

Esme shook her head and kneeled down to pick up the files from the ground.

"I'd prefer to stay here in Jacksonville."

"Why?"

"With all respect Dr. Cullen, that's none of your business."

He sighed and lifted the cup of coffee to his lips again. It was already cold. This conversation with Dr. Platt was getting on his nerves. She was so stubborn. Any other intern would have accepted his gracious offer by now. It was the best solution. Esme would be out of the way and Renee couldn't be mad at him for he hadn't fired the young doctor.

"Please, re-think my offer. It would be the best for your medical career."

She shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. There was no way she was going to take shit from a man again. Esme was done with that.

"I'm going to stay here. You can fire me if you dare to but then I'm going to sue this hospital and drag your face to every newspaper in Florida."

"Fine, you may stay here. Just try to stay out of my way as much as possible." After a short pause he added hesitantly. "And I'm sure we're clear that you also stay away from my son."

"I know the rules of a closed adoption." she mumbled before she walked out of the office and made her way down to the elevators. As soon as its doors closed behind her, the green of her eyes filled with tears. She pulled out her cell, wiping her nose as she stumbled out the front entrance of the hospital.

After a few rings finally someone picked up. "Hale and McCarty's, this is Vera speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hello Vera. It's Dr. Platt. Is Miss Hale in a meeting? I don't want to disturb her when she's busy."

"No problem, Dr. Platt. She told me to put you right through in case you'd call again. Just a second—"

The line cracked and then Rosalie Hale's light voice was on the other side.

"Good Morning, Dr. Platt. I know you'd call again. Have you changed your mind?"

"Yes, I have. But there is still the problem with the money. I can't pay what you expect."

"Let's talk about your case first and handle the financial aspects of our arrangement later."

"Are you sure, Miss Hale?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Your case fascinates me. I'd love to work for you."

"Do you honestly think I might have something like a chance in this? The boy's…father, he's my boss."

"Are you afraid he might fire you?"

"He already tried to ship me off to another state. I know why he hates me. I'm a horrible person. I gave away my kid and now he thinks I want to steal it back from him."

"You can't steal what's yours, Dr. Platt. Your ex forced you to sign the adoption papers. You've been threatened. That makes you the victim in this whole thing."

"Yes, Miss Hale."

"Great. I'll have Vera arrange a meeting with you in my office. Try not to worry so much."

With that she hung up and Esme returned inside the hospital. There was a Brunch held in Dr. Volturi's office. His wife was always arranging those and usually Esme would have felt obligated to attend it. Today though, she didn't feel like she could endure all this superficial chatting. So, instead she went straight to the E.R. asking Dr. Connor if he'd could need a hand over there.

xxx

Alice was happy. Her heart filled with warmth while her head was resting on Bella's lap. She closed her eyes and enjoyed how Bella's fingertip caressed her eyebrows before she circled it down to Alice's lips.

"You're pretty." Bella whispered softly before leaning down to kiss Alice.

"Thanks," Alice mumbled against Bella's lips. "You don't have to say this though."

"But I mean it. When I saw you again after all this time, all I could think was wow. That's mean, little Alice?"

"I wasn't mean as a child."

"Yes, you were. You never wanted to play with me. I still don't know why."

"I was shy. You intimidated me."

"Am I still intimating you? I really don't want to."

Alice kissed Bella's mouth and sighed. "You're not. You're actually the most caring person I've met in a long time."

"Well, it's good you've figured that out." Bella stated, running her fingers gently through Alice's hair.

"I don't really know how to do this. I've never had a girlfriend before."

"I'm your girlfriend now?"

Bella nodded her head, her cheeks flaming into a bright red with excitement. They kissed again but when they heard some noises coming from Eddie's room at the other end of the corridor. Alice quickly jumped up and tried to comb through her hair.

"We have to be careful." Bella said nervously.

"I know."

"Do you think, you can deal with keeping our secret?"

"Sure, of course, I can." Alice told Bella before pulling her into a tight hug. She was used to keeping secrets. It had been like that all her life.

Bella went to check on Eddie and after the boy complained about being hungry, she and Alice went down to the kitchen to prepare some lunch.

"Can I have my candy back?" he asked Alice, kicking his feet against the kitchen table. "You can have an apple if you can't wait until the pasta is ready."

"But I want the candy back. It was mine. The woman gave it to me."

"And Mom told you not to accept things from strangers." Bella told him, rinsing an apple under the faucet.

"Alice, you're my favorite sister if you give me candy instead of the apple."

"You need to listen to Bella, or she's not going to babysit you anymore."

"She has to. Mom will make her."

"Don't be so sure about that, Eddie." Alice chuckled, turning her attention back to the sauce that was cooking on the stove. She lifted the spoon to her mouth, carefully blowing a bit over it before she tried it.

"Too much salt," she mumbled, offering another spoonful to Bella. "Or what do you think?"

"Maybe a bit too much salt," Bella said, letting her fingers rest a bit longer over Alice's than she probably should.

"Boys have a penis and girls have a vafina."

"Eddie, you shouldn't talk about that all the time." Alice told him. For Eddie the world was so simply, divided into black and white, male or female. For her, things had always been way more complicated. She knew she was a girl, but she knew she was different. Her penis would always make her different from normal girls.

"Why not?" The boy asked her, nibbling on a piece of apple.

"It's embarrassing."

"Why?"

"Because she said so," Bella stated, putting some plates on the table. The sound of the doorbell made her turn around. "I bet that's Renee who has lost her keys again. Eddie, go and open the door for Mom."

He rushed off, just to return a moment later. "Bella, there is a man. He wants to talk to Mom and Dad."

She wiped her hands and walked to the door, finding herself in front of a giant dressed in an expensive looking grey suit that seemed to be a bit too tight around his broad shoulders.

"Hi there." he greeted her, his lips turning into a wide grin. "Are your parents home?"

"They're not. What do you want from them?"

"Nothing in particular." he said. "I can come back another time. I was just in the area."

"Are you one of my stepfather's friends?"

"Not exactly, Miss, not exactly. This is a nice house by the way. Has your family been living here for long?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Well, my fiancée and I are looking for a nice place to start a family."

"Oh I see. My mother could probably give you tips if anyone in the neighborhood is planning on selling their house."

"Yes, probably." he mumbled. Then he told Bella goodbye and walked off. A tiny card fell out of his pocket, landing in a small puddle on the front porch.

Bella fished it out and read through it. _Hale & McCarty - Family Attorney's_

"Lunch is ready!" Eddie called from inside and Bella threw the small card carelessly down to the ground again.

Alice could barely manage to keep her eyes away from Bella's mouth while they were eating. She was tensed. The burden of keeping her secret from Bella seemed too heavy on her. She cared for Bella. Bella cared for her. Hadn't her father told her that someone who loved her would understand? What if he was wrong?

"Aren't you hungry, Alice?" Eddie asked her, licking a bit of sauce from the sleeve of his shirt.

"Not really. Are you finished?"

"Yep,"

"You should go and wash your face. There is tomato sauce all over it."

When the boy rushed off the stairs, Bella pulled Alice close. "You have some sauce here too." she mumbled, kissing the left side of Alice's mouth.

"We can't kiss when Eddie is around. It's too risky."

"I know. How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you all the time?"

Alice face turned white. Bella couldn't want to sleep with her, right? It was too soon. She wasn't ready and once Bella would see her naked, she would most likely lose her interest in sex quiet soon. Wouldn't she?

"You're nervous." Bella said, lifting Alice's hand to her lips. "I'm too. This is new for both of us. I don't want to make anything wrong."

"Can we just take things a bit slower? I like you, but I'm not ready…I'm just not ready—,"

"It's okay. We have time. I just want us to be honest with each other. That's important to me. No secrets between us. Can we agree on that?"


	9. Chapter 9

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] I want to thank all of you for leaving me so many lovely reviews on the last chapter. Your kind words mean so much to me. Thanks for being such inspiring and encouraging readers.

****9****

Alice felt an unpleasant tightness in her stomach. Maybe this was the right time to break the truth to Bella. The problem was Alice had no clue how to explain her secret. There are things that are difficult to explain and having a penis definitely fitted into that category. She could feel her heartbeat quickening and her palms sweating while the fear of Bella's reaction began spreading through her. It practically paralyzed her.

"Alice?" Bella asked, placing her fingers gently on Alice's shoulder. "Don't you agree on what I just said?"

"Yes. Yes, of course." She said. Then, she took a deep breath and continued in a lower, whisper-like voice. "But sometimes it is difficult to share secrets with others. It's risky."

"I don't think I understand." Bella told Alice, running her fingers down Alice's arm. She closed her hand around the smaller girl's hand and sighed. "Why do you think it's risky to trust me?"

Because I don't know how you would react to the fact that I'm different! Alice yelled in her head while her lips stayed pressed together.

She made a step backwards against the stove behind her, pulling over the pot with the hot sauce. Unfortunately a big amount of it landed all over Alice's thighs before the pot landed on the floor of the kitchen.

"Ahhhh," Alice called out, as the pain radiated through her. She was freezing and burning at the very same moment. She screamed and sobbed while Bella tried to pull her upwards to the bathroom. Cold water would help against scalding, wouldn't it?

"Is Alice sick?" Eddie asked Bella worriedly before he offered to blow it better. That would help to make it better, wouldn't it?

Bella managed to maneuver Alice inside the bathtub and turned on the cold water.

"Let's get you out of this jeans." she whispered. "I need to see how bad it is."

"No," Alice croaked. "I'm fine. Ahhh…oh, crap. Why does this hurt so much? It hurts so much, so much!"

Alice could feel herself getting sick, the pain in her thighs made her nauseous. Even with the pain throbbing through her, she was aware that letting Bella see her without clothes on was a bad thing. She didn't want her to find out like this. She couldn't let Bella find out like this."

"Eddie! Bring me the phone. Can you do that?" Bella called, while she tried desperately to remember everything knew about treating scalds.

Her brother rushed off and when he returned a moment later, Bella tried to reach Carlisle. Her stepfather would know what to do. He would hopefully also know how to calm Alice down.

"Crap! He's not answering his fucking cell! Damn it!"

"You can't say bad words. I'm going to tell Mom."

Bella sighed and managed to croak out a lame excuse to her little brother. She decided that it would be best to drive Alice directly to the hospital to have Carlisle check on her. She brought Eddie over to an elderly neighbor, telling the boy to behave until she came back.

When she and Alice reached the entrance of the hospital about twenty minutes later, Alice was trembling. The pain in her thighs had worsened so much that she couldn't even think straight anymore.

"Can you page, my stepdad, Dr. Cullen for us?" Bella asked a blonde nurse who was standing at the information desk.

"He's in in a meeting. No, let me check, he's in surgery right now with Dr. Alistair. It was an emergency." she told them. "Shit, What's wrong with her? Is that blood?"

"Tomato sauce, she dropped that hot stuff all over her. Can you please, try to page, Dr. Cullen now?

"He's in surgery, sweetie. We'll have another doctor take care of your friend here."

Alice cried. She didn't want to see another doctor than her father. It would be awkward and embarrassing.

The nurse guided them into a small examination room and told them to wait for a few minutes.

"I don't want to see a doctor. I'll wait for Dad." Alice stammered out, wiping some snot from her nose.

Bella put one arm around Alice and rubbed Alice's back gently. She felt bad for Alice because she was in pain and even worse, for she seemed to be scared of the doctor.

"Hi," Esme croaked when she entered the room. She hadn't been exactly happy when she had read the name Cullen on the chart of her next patient. At least, it wasn't the boy – her boy – who had ended up here in the hospital again.

"I'm Dr. Platt, but you probably remember that from the last time you were here."

"I don't want you to examine me! I'll wait for my father. I don't want, I don't want-"

"Alice, please. You're in pain. Why do you want to wait for Carlisle? It could take hours until he finishes that surgery." Bella told her while she continued to stroke up and down Alice's back to calm her down a bit.

Alice sobbed but finally agreed to let Esme examine her.

"You need to take your shirt up a bit…and your jeans down so that I can take a look at your injuries."

"Please," Alice croaked. "Not in front of her."

"Could you wait outside for a moment?" Esme asked Bella who didn't feel comfortable with leaving her stepsister alone with the young doctor.

"You don't have to be afraid. I'm a good doctor, even if your father doesn't agree on that."

"I'm sure you're okay." Alice mumbled. She stood up and pulled her jeans down. Her skin was deep red with some blisters building at the inside of her left thigh. She cringed when she felt Esme's cold hand on it.

"Let me see. It's not as bad as it looks. You're not going to have any permanent scarring."

Then Esme's eyes moved a bit higher and her jaw dropped. Was Dr. Cullen's daughter a transgender? The chart didn't say anything about it and to her the girl looked perfectly female. She was petite and didn't have the slightest hint of an Adam's apple. Wow, nature did crazy things sometimes.

"Dr. Platt?"

"I'll give you a painkiller now. Do you know if you're allergic to anything?"

"No,"

"That's good." Esme assured her, pulling out an injection from the pocket of her lab coat. "I'll give you a prescription for some salve that you can put on your injured skin. That stuff smells terribly, but it helps."

"Thanks."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing my job here. Can I ask you something?"

"I know what you want to know. Every doctor who sees me has the same question."

"I don't think so,"

"Oh sure, tell me you don't want to know about the penis. No, I'm not a boy trapped in the wrong body. I'm just a girl who's a freak."

"You're not a freak. You're just a bit different from what we consider normal."

"I'd rather not be different." Alice said, sighing in relief when she felt the pain subside as the painkiller started working.

"We're all different from others, one way or another. Now, can I ask you something? It's about your brother."

"Eddie? What do you want to know about him?"

Everything! Esme thought. I want to know everything about him.

"He's a happy child, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's happy. It's easy to make a five-year-old happy, I guess."

"Five…he's already five. God, I already missed so much." Esme mumbled barely audible for Alice.

"Dr. Platt?"

"Yes?"

"I heard some conversation between my parents. My Dad said you're Eddie's birth mother."

"I don't think I deserve to be called mother."

"Because of the adoption?"

"It's complicated. I just wished I…I wished—," The words died in Esme's throat as Carlisle entered the room.

"Alice honey, are you okay? I'm so sorry you hurt yourself."

"I'm fine, Dad. Dr. Platt gave me some painkiller."

"Did she give you some salve too?"

"_She_ is here, Dr. Cullen." Esme snarled at him. "I told her to apply the salve to help it heal faster."

"Yeah, right, that's good. Dr. Platt, I'll handle this myself now. You can leave."

"You don't have to send her away. I want to keep her as my doctor."

"For real? I thought I'm the only doctor you would want to take care of you."

"She's different. She doesn't ask stupid questions about the…well, you know what I mean."

"I see." he murmured. His lips twitching into an almost smile. For the first time he took the time to look right into Dr. Platt's young face, noticing how her iris was the same shade of moss green like that of his adopted son. She was a pretty woman, maybe a bit too pretty to be a doctor. He tried to push the thought away.

"Dad, will I have to stay here?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary. You can get dressed now. Bella will drive you home. I'll let them deliver that salve there."

Alice nodded her head and after awkwardly putting her clothes back on, she stumbled out of the room, leaving Carlisle alone with Esme.

"Thank you." he murmured, leaning back against the wall behind him.

"For what? Her injuries are painful but not that severe. There won't be any scarring."

"I'm not talking about the scalding."

"I see."

"You were very professional about her…condition. I appreciate that a lot."

"It's alright. I've not seen many cases of Intersexuality. Most parents tend to…well, they prefer getting the child's genitals fixed at a very early age."

"Most parents are stupid. It's her body and that makes it her choice if she wants to change it or not."

"Does she?"

"Right now she does. She's seventeen. Life is difficult when you are seventeen and you feel like no one is ever going to like you the way nature created you."

"That's sad. Can I ask you something private Dr. Cullen?"

"That depends on what you want to know."

"Why do people that already have children decide to adopt? It's not my business, I know that. I just don't understand why you would want to have another kid, if you and your wife both already had some?"

"That's complicated. I'm glad we have Eddie though. He's a darling child."

Esme's heart cramped. It was obvious that Cullen loved the boy. How could she destroy that happiness by trying to take Eddie away from the people he had known as his parents his whole life? But how could she, herself, go on living with that nagging hole in her chest. The emptiness seemed to be overpowering since that horrible, horrible day five years ago…

"Does he know he's adopted?"

"He's too young to understand things. Renee and I are planning to explain things to him when he gets older."

Carlisle walked over to the door and sighed deeply. "I understand this is difficult for you. But you made your choice. Now, you have to deal with its consequences."

"Whatever having a choice means, Dr. Cullen." Esme stated, walking out of the room.

Meanwhile Bella had driven Alice back home. The painkillers were working and a slight drowsiness was making Alice too weak to protest when Bella brought her upstairs to their room.

"You can't sleep in those jeans. They're still damp."

"You just want to see me naked." Alice chuckled, as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "I can't let that happen."

"You're acting strange. I don't want my first time with you be to happen while you're stoned with drugs."

She pulled Alice's shirt over the girl's head and kept her eyes on Alice's face all the time, not daring to look down at the light blue silk bra she was wearing underneath.

"You're blushing. You are so pretty when you blush." Alice giggled, reaching out her hand to stroke softly over Bella's cheek.

"You're probably just saying that because of the drugs."

"You're always pretty to me. I like you. Can I get a kiss?"

Bella kissed Alice's forehead, pressing her lips a bit longer against Alice's cold skin. "I'll go and get Eddie now before he gets too much on Mrs. Cope's nerves. She's such a crazy old woman, different than anyone I ever met."

"Different," Alice whispered, closing her eyes tiredly. "I bet she's not as different as I am."

"What do you mean you're different?" Bella asked, but when she noticed that Alice had fallen asleep right next to her she just kissed Alice's forehead again and tiptoed out of the room.

"I don't mind you being different, as long as you want to be with me, Bella thought as she made her way down the stairs.


	10. Chapter 10

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome to another update, my lovely readers. I want to thank you for all the favorite's and reviews. They make me feel special and put a smile on my face.

****10****

_Alice's heart was pounding in her chest as she felt Bella's arms wrapping around her from behind. What was she doing here in her bed? God, it felt so good to have Bella this close. The brunette girl's breathe was pleasantly warm against Alice's neck._

_Bella's right hand moved around Alice's waist, slowly gliding lower until she reached the base of Alice's semi-hard dick. The gentle touch of Bella's fingers made Alice shiver slightly as pleasure began to throb through her groins._

"_Are you hard for me?"_

"_So hard," Alice whimpered while Bella's hand moved up from the base to the tip and back down again. "You make so hard."_

_After a few minutes Bella's fingers circled down to Alice's pussy and eventually one of them pressed against her entrance, spreading the wetness from there around the penis to use it like some sort of natural lube._

"_Let go, baby. I want to feel you come all over my fingers."_

_Alice's climax rippled throughout her entire body, her muscles tightening as she cried out with the intensity of her release._

"Alice! Alice, wake up!"

Within a flash Alice's eyes flew open. For a second she didn't know where she was. She could feel some sticky wetness dampening the fabric of her blankets that she had wrapped around herself like a tight cocoon.

The room was still dark and it took her a moment to be able to see Bella's face in the darkness.

"You had a nightmare. It took me forever to wake you up again."

"Nightmare? I had a nightmare?" Alice repeated in a husky voice.

"Don't you remember your dream? It must have been a pretty intense one. Your whimpering woke me up. I usually sleep like a baby."

"I'm sorry." Alice mumbled. She was glad that Bella couldn't see her probably beet-red face right now. She remembered the dream very well. It had been the first time her mind had created a picture like that in her head that was so realistic. She could still feel the silky touch of Bella's finger around her dick. Like something like that was ever going to happen. Bella would be disgusted with her. She had to be disgusted with her body. Wouldn't she?

"Oh, Alice, please don't cry. You don't have to apologize for having a nightmare."

Bella wrapped her arms around Alice's shoulder, feeling the girl stiffen as her lips touched against Alice's neck.

"Hey. Don't be scared. It was just a dream. Dreams don't come true."

Alice sobbed, trying to hold back herself from a crying fit. She didn't want to worry Bella. Crap, why did everything have to be so difficult for her?

"I'll get you something to drink from the kitchen." Bella told Alice, planting a soft kiss on Alice's cheek.

As soon as Bella was out of the room, Alice jumped up to quickly toss her ruined shorts into the laundry basket in the corner of their room. She switched on the light and changed into a fresh pair of sweats. The skin on her thighs was still red and sensitive when she touched it with her fingertips. She sighed and grabbed the pot with the salve from the nightstand, applying a thin coat of it all over the injured area before she pulled the sweats back up again.

"What's that strange smell?" Bella asked when she returned from the kitchen. She placed a tray with two cups filled with hot chocolate on her bed and petted the place next to her.

"Come here to me. My bed is bigger than yours."

Alice flinched, wiping the rest of the salve on her left forearm before she walked over to sit next to Bella.

"The salve stinks like bleach. It's disgusting." Alice stated, wrinkling her nose as she lifted them to smell her fingertips.

"As long as it helps to lessen your pain, I'll try to ignore it." Bella told Alice as she handed her one of the cups. "It's hot. You have to be careful when you drink."

Alice took a small sip, holding the sweetness of the chocolate on the tip of her tongue for a second before she swallowed.

"My mother used to make me hot chocolate all the time when I was little."

"How's your mother like? You never talk much about her."

"I miss her. But I don't think she misses me too much. Laurent is keeping her busy. I can't stand that sleaze ball for crying out loud."

"I'm glad she met him though. Otherwise you wouldn't have come to live with us." Bella said before she took a gulp from her own drink and sighed. "I like having you here, even if you keep me up at three o'clock in the morning."

"I'm sorry."

"I already told you that you don't have to be sorry. I'm sorry that you're having nightmares."

"Hmm," Alice mumbled, raising the cup again. She decided that right now was as good as any other time to start explaining her condition to Bella. Crap, if she only wouldn't be so scared for Bella's reaction.

"You're pale. Are you in pain again? I could see if we have some Tylenol in the bathroom."

"I don't want any more drugs. Thank you."

Bella reached out her hand and put one of Alice's curls behind the girl's ear.

"Why do you think you're different?"

"Different?"

"Yes, you said something like that last night before you passed out. Is it because you have problems with being gay?"

"I'm not sure if I'm gay. Maybe I'm just gay for you. I don't know what I am. It must be so easy if you know how to label yourself."

"Took me long enough to figure things out. Now, tell me, why do you think you're different?"

"Because I know, I am. It's really complicated. I'm afraid you're going to freak if I tell you."

"I'm not that easy to shock. You know, you can trust me. Don't you?"

Alice didn't respond. Instead she moved a bit further away from Bella on the bed and placed her empty cup on the tray again.

"I'm different than other girls."

"I know. You're way prettier than most, and you're such a sweet person on top of it. I'm glad that you like me back."

"I like you a lot. That's why I am scared to tell you my secret. If I tell you about it, you're going to be disgusted."

"Wow, now you're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it to be."

Yes, it is bad! Alice thought, feeling the panic spreading through her again.

"It's about my body." she started hesitantly. "It's different from that of other women."

"Are you sick?"

"No. No, I'm not. It's just…I'm physically different…my genitals are different. I have a…pe-nis." The last word died in her throat as she jumped up and curled into a ball on her small bed. There was a part in her, a pretty big part that wished she could make herself disappear somehow.

"Alice? What do you mean with you have a penis? Are you a boy? You' can't be a boy. I wouldn't feel for you like I do if you were a boy."

"Please, don't look at me. I'm so ashamed."

"You don't have to ashamed. I just want to understand."

"You're not going to run?"

"I fall down a lot when I try to run."

"Well, it's complicated to explain my condition to you. Do you know how chromosomes work like? I'm genetically female, with everything that belongs to a normal woman. But where others have a clitoris I have a penis."

"For real? That's weird. Were you born like that?"

"Yes. Isn't that horrible?"

"I don't know. Does it hurt you?"

"What?"

"The penis, is it causing you pain?"

"No, it doesn't. It's just…well, it's just not normal that I have one. My mom wanted to get that thing removed when I was little. I remember my parents fighting about that a lot."

"If it's not painful, why would you go through the agony of having a surgery?"

"People are not exactly accepting when they find out about my little…extra. There was a boy in my school back in Biloxi. We dated for a few weeks. Then, one night we were in his car, making out. He…felt me getting hard against his stomach. God, I can still hear him yelling in my ears. I'm glad he didn't beat me up or something."

"What an asshole. I'm glad he can't harm you anymore."

"Things like that are going to happen again. I don't want people in school to find out."

"They won't. You don't have to tell anyone, if you don't feel comfortable." Bella walked over to Alice's bed and kneeled down in front of her. She placed her hand on Alice's shoulder and tugged gently.

"I'm glad you told me. I don't want any secrets between us."

xxxxx

Later that morning, when Bella and Alice had drifted to sleep again, cuddled together on Bella's bed, someone else hadn't managed to close her eyes for just one single minute.

Insomnia was a common problem for Esme. She didn't sleep well without pills. But as she was afraid to develop some addiction to them, she forced herself to try without them every other night.

She pulled out the Polaroid picture from her nightstand. It had been cut in half. Esme couldn't bear to look at the grin on Charles face. The baby was resting on her chest, the damp hair on the tiny head the same shade as her own. She remembered planting a kiss on it. Then Charles had taken the baby away. He had told her that he wasn't going to share her with anyone. She was his, for now and for all times.

"I hate you." she mumbled, standing up from the couch that was working as her bed in her two-room apartment. It was small but cozy. There was even a tree outside her kitchen window. She had built a birdhouse and fixed it on one of the higher branches of the tree. Maybe a bird would build a nest in it. That would be wonderful.

Pouring herself a glass of water, Esme leaned against the window. The glass felt cold against her forehead. She had to be back to the hospital for a double-shift in 6 hours. How was she going to survive that without having any sleep before it?

With trembling finger she placed the Polaroid on the fridge with a little heart-shaped magnet.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I should have been stronger for you. I should have fought for you."

Maybe she was going to have a second chance. Maybe she could get her son back, even after all this time. Esme hadn't dared to hope for it, but when she had mentioned things to her divorce lawyer, the young woman had encouraged her to fight for her rights. Her rights? It wasn't like anyone had ever given anything about them before…

In the hope that a bit of fresh air would make her sleepy, Esme walked out, feeling the damp grass underneath her bare feet. She walked over to the tree, touching its bark for a moment when something fluffy startled her as it rubbed against her calve. Then her neighbors Main Coon cat rushed up the tree, disappearing high above.

"Come back, kitty. Come back!" she called after the animal. Then she realized that the cat had probably smelled a bird and was chasing after it. Esme couldn't let that happen. There could be little baby birds in the bird house she had built. "Come back, kitty, or I'm coming after you!"

The cat hissed and Esme sighed deeply. She hadn't tried climbing a tree since she was a young girl. It couldn't be that difficult though, could it? Carefully she started climbing up. The hard bark was scratching her knees and hands but she didn't stop.

"Got you," she sighed when she could see the cat sitting idly on a branch. Esme reached out her hands to grab the animal but in that moment she lost her balance and dropped forward. The last thing she heard was the loud cracking in her leg as her body made contact with the ground just seconds later.


	11. Chapter 11

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for helping me hit the _200__th_ review limit. I appreciate your support for my little story here a lot. It means so much to me.

****11****

Carlisle's nightshift was about to be over in exactly thirteen minutes. He was already looking forward to going home when another ambulance arrived in front of the E.R. entrance.

The paramedic rattled down the usual information while Carlisle walked around to push some blood crusted hair out of the young woman's face.

"Dr. Platt!"

She choked and tried to sit up again. The medication the paramedics had given her wasn't working properly. It had only made her drowsy a bit.

"Stay still. Don't move. You probably have a concussion." Carlisle told her as the paramedics rolled Esme inside an examination room. She whimpered and a moment later a loud sob escaped her throat.

"You'll be fine." Carlisle told her while he ordered a nurse to do some x-rays. "Do you want some more painkillers? They already gave you some on the way here."

"They're not wor-king." Esme stuttered out while the throbbing pain in her right thigh got so worse, she was close to screaming.

"I told you to stay still. You're not going to be a difficult patient, are you?" he whispered as he pushed an injection needle into her arm. Moments later a slight numbness spread throughout Esme and she sighed in relief.

"Your femur is broken. I can see that without waiting for the x-rays. Let me page Dr. Volturi. He'll be the lucky guy to handle your surgery."

"No! I don't want Dr. Volturi!" Esme whimpered. "He's a butcher. I'll end up as a limping cripple."

"Watch your mouth, young woman. That man has done surgeries while you were probably still in school, listening to awful boy-group music all the time."

"How old do you think I am?"

"According to your records, you're twenty-seven but according to the fact that you tried climbing a tree, I'd rather go for seven."

"I know it was stupid. There is no reason to point it out."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Is the medication working now?"

"Yes, it is. Thank you."

"I'm just doing my job here, Miss Platt,"

"I know. But you can't stand me, so I probably should thank you."

"It doesn't matter if I like you. I don't like any of my Interns. That's nothing personal."

Oh yes sure, it's nothing personal. Esme thought bitterly. Adopting my child isn't something personal, is it? Well, it's personal enough for me.

Someone knocked on the door and handed Carlisle the x-ray pictures. He mumbled something before he held them up against the light.

"Like I told you, Miss Platt, your femur is broken. You should be glad it's not your spine. I suggest you to stay down on the ground in the future."

"I tried to save the birds."

"You should better try saving yourself. It would be better for you." he chuckled a bit but then his eyes looked up to the second x-ray picture. The old fractures on the ribs had healed but what shocked him was the fact that there were so many of them.

"Who did this to you?"

"Who did what to me? I don't know what you're talking about. Is something else broken apart from my leg?"

"No, it's not. But your x-rays show a lot of healed fractures on your ribs…and your shoulder bone."

"The key word here is healed, Dr. Cullen. Please, don't ask any more about it."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair before he placed the x-ray pictures on the desk.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." he whispered before he walked out of the room. Outside he bumped into a tall blonde woman in a grey dress.

"Hi, my name is Rosalie Hale. I'm looking for Dr. Platt. Her neighbor called me that she was in an accident."

"Are you a relative?" Carlisle asked her while she followed him down the hall. Her high-heels clicked on the floor. Why did women even bother to wear these death-traps on their feet?

"Miss Hale, are you a relative of Dr. Platt?"

"What does it matter?" she snarled at him, pushing her metal-framed glasses a bit higher on her nose. "I'd like to know if she's alright. Her neighbor sounded as if it was something serious."

"I can't give you any information on patients unless you're a relative."

"I'm going to fill a complaint against this joke of a hospital. I just want to know if she's okay."

"Let me guess, you're a lawyer? Why does she need a lawyer?"

"I can't give you any information about my clients, Dr…ahm…Cullen. Esme put me on her contact list. She doesn't have any living relatives."

"I see. Well, she's going to need surgery. It's going to take a couple of hours. Do you want to wait here?"

"I can't. I need to be in court in an hour. Let me call my fiancé. It's his day off and he can sit around here until Esme wakes up."

She fumbled around in her handbag and finally pulled a silver-colored cell out. Her manicured fingers pushed a few buttons on it before she held it against her ear.

"Hey, Emmett. Did I wake you up? No, I'm not in the office. I'm at the hospital. No, I'm fine. I'm here because Dr. Platt was in an accident. You remember her from our engagement party, the red-haired one with the purple dress?"

Rosalie cleared her throat and sighed. "You need to come here and wait until she wakes up. I'll come back here once I finish this stupid court appointment."

"What do you mean, you don't have time? Buying a house? How can you buy a fucking house without talking this through with me, McCarty? You know what? We'll talk about that when I get home and please, stop calling me that piggy name. You know I hate it."

With that she disconnected the call and stuffed the cell back into her handbag.

"Could you give me a call, when her surgery is finished?" she asked Carlisle, handing him a small card. "I'd appreciate that a lot."

"My secretary can take care of this."

"Wonderful. Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

"You're welcome, Miss Hale. Good luck for your court appointment."

"Luck is what my client's ex-husband is going to need, once I'm finished with him. Good bye, Dr. Cullen."

xxxx

Alice didn't want to wake up ever again. She felt so safe and warm with Bella's arms wrapped tightly around from behind. That she was still here with her after last night's confession seemed like a miracle to Alice. Maybe she was still dreaming. If she was, she didn't want to wake up, not now, not ever.

A loud knock on the door startled Alice's semi-sleep state of mind and when a moment later the loud voice of their little brother reached the girls ears both of them groaned tiredly.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

"Eddie, what are you doing here? Wake up, Mom, if you need help." Bella told him, sitting up in the bed.

"She's making pancakes for breakfast. You need to get up! Mom sent me here to wake you."

"Okay, okay, we'll be down in five minutes. Please stop yelling so loud, Eddie."

He jumped on the bed, making it squeak underneath him. "Why are you sleeping in one bed?"

"Alice had a bad dream. I tried to comfort her." Bella explained, rubbing her eyes.

"You never sleep in my bed, when I have a bad dream." he stated reproachfully.

"Did you have one, little lion?" Bella asked him, trying to grab his legs, so that he would stop jumping up and down.

"No, but I could."

Bella laughed and pulled him on her lap. "Go and help Mom. Make sure she doesn't burn down the house."

He rushed off and Alice stood up from the bed with a sigh.

"I feel like I didn't sleep at all."

"Me too, I wished we could skip school today but I don't think Mom and Carlisle would approve of that."

"I guess so." Alice mumbled, grabbing her clothes from the closet. She leaned down to pull out some underwear when Bella's touch on her shoulder startled her.

"I liked having you in my bed."

Alice's face warmed with heat and when she turned around Bella planted a quick kiss on her lips before she rushed into the bathroom.

A few minutes later both girls were ready. They walked down the stairs where the smell of burned pancakes and a cheerful Renee greeted them.

"Good morning, sweeties! You must have been tired that you slept so long."

"Hmm," Bella murmured, shoving the burned pancake around on her plate. "We didn't hear the alarm."

"Alice, honey, how are you feeling? I called your mother's cell but she isn't answering it."

"Please, don't call her. If she hears, I had to go to the hospital it will worry her unnecessarily."

"A mother always worries about her kids. Oh Isabella, can you drop off Eddie at his kindergarten today? I have an appointment."

"You need to arrange your appointments a bit better. I'm tired of babysitting Eddie twenty-four-seven."

"Don't be like that. I've just started with this yoga trainer business. Phil is one of my best clients, I can't lose him."

"Fine, we'll take him. Eddie, are you ready to go?"

They took their backpacks and made their way outside, noticing a big van in front of the house next to theirs.

"Looks like someone is moving," Bella said opening the door of her car.

"Mrs. Cope is going to live with her son, that fag." Eddie told them while Alice fixed his seat belt around him. "She told Mom yesterday."

"I don't want you to use words like fag. It's not nice." Alice said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"But Mrs. Cope calls him a fag all the time. What is that?"

"Nothing you need to know." Bella stated, started the engine of the car. "We just don't want you to use that word. Are we clear about that?"

"Yes, Bella." he whispered before pressing his face against the window of the car.

A few minutes later they had dropped of the boy and were sipping on some coffees they had bought on their way to their own school.

"I can't believe you didn't freak out last night when I told you about the penis."

"What kind of reaction did you expect?"

"I don't know. Something bad, like screaming and insults, at least that's what usually happens when someone finds out about my secret."

"That's horrible. Do you honestly think that low of me?" Bella asked her as she parked the car in a corner of the school parking lot. "That's sad."

"I don't know what to think. I was scared. I am still scared."

Bella sighed and took both of Alice's hand between hers.

"I like you. It doesn't happen very often that I like someone, but when I do that it doesn't change so easily."

"But I'm a freak. Girls are not supposed to have a penis."

"And girls are not supposed to like other girls the way I like you. But I still do. I don't know how to handle this situation properly but I want you to know I won't let you down. It's not your fault that you were born with that…penis thing."

"Maybe you're going to faint if you see it."

"Is it huge?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I'm just curious. Should I not ask about the penis? I've never seen one apart from Eddie's when I changed his diapers. He peed all over my shirt."

"I'm not planning on peeing on you."

"Makes me happy to hear that," Bella chuckled, planting a kiss on the tip of Alice's nose. "We have to go inside now. We're already too late."

Alice kissed Bella's mouth tenderly before they stepped out of the car. When they entered the class room minutes later, all eyes moved to them instantly.

"Look who decided to show up here at last. Detention for both of you, Miss Swan and Miss Cullen. Sit down and open your books, page twenty-four."

"But Mr. Banner—,"

"I hate excuses, Bella. You should know that."

"Mr. Banner. It's my fault we're late. You don't have to punish my stepsister too." Alice told him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Nice try, Alice. You are both late. So you both get detention. See me in my office after class. Now, where were we?"

The girls walked to their seats and Bells cringed when she suddenly felt a hand on her ass.

"Nice jeans, Swan." Mike whispered. "I've been thinking about you and your cute ass all weekend."

"Mr. Newton, do you wish to answer my question?" Mr. Banner snarled, looking up from his desk.

Mike flushed and Alice's stamped the heel of her shoe against his foot as hard as she could.

"Ouch! Damn it! Stupid bitch!"

"Newton! That's enough. Detention for you too it is."

"But Mr. Banner—Alice, she stabbed me with her stupid shoes."

"I've heard better excuses during my time as a teacher. Now, face on your book and nowhere else. Are we clear about that?"

"Yes, Mr. Banner." he whispered, leaning down to rub his foot. The pain was not as bad as the humiliation. Was Alice Bella's personal bodyguard now? How ridiculous. The girl was not more than what…4.8 or something close to that?

"Mr. Banner?" Angela asked shyly from the last row, her cheeks instantly turning red when a few people looked at her. She was a very good student but rarely spoke up unless the teachers asked her a direct question.

"Yes, Angela?"

"I just wanted to remind you of that field trip next Saturday."

"Thank you. I haven't forgotten about it. We're going to do some research on the bird population up there. Remember to bring sleeping bags and tents."

"We're going to sleep in tents?" Jessica called out in horror. "There could be snakes out there in the wilderness."

"Then you should pay close attention when I'm going to tell you which of them are venomous."

"Mr. Banner, please. I don't want to sleep in the outside and my parents wouldn't approve of you letting us stay in one tent with boys."

"Oh don't worry about that, Miss Stanley. Boys and girls are going to sleep in different tents."


	12. Chapter 12

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Big Thanks to you for being such supportive readers. I feel blessed to have you by my side for this journey. Real life is keeping me away too much from writing for you at the moment, but things should get better in a couple of weeks.

Oh my God, how awesome was BreakingDawn2? I love it and plan on seeing it again. It's amazing and was very inspiring for me. I'm totally going to do a Bellice story that is based after BD – sort of.

****12****

Alice kept her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jeans during the entire bus ride to the small National Park their class was going to hike. She had never been the outdoorsy type of girl and so was Bella who was sitting next to her now. It was difficult for Alice to sit so close to Bella.

Their thighs were almost rubbing against each other on the narrow seats of the bus. When the girls were alone they were inseparable. It was a sweet love. It was sweet because to them everything was so very new and exciting. Alice's blood was racing through her veins whenever Bella's lips touched hers.

They hadn't gone any further than kissing so far. Bella was shy when it came to intimacy and so was Alice herself. Still Alice's thoughts were circling around fantasies where she was exploring her brunette lover's body with her hands. Whenever she massaged Bella's back she had been struggling with herself not to unclasp the bra and move her fingers over the curves of Bella's breasts. Would she let her touch her like this? Or would she push her hands away?

"Hello! Hello, earth to Alice!"

"What?"

"Alice Cullen, did you hear anything I said to you?" Jessica asked, making Alice cringe as she felt the curly-haired girl's hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, I was just in thoughts. Did you say anything important?"

"You're just as dreamy as Bella. I asked if you want to share a tent with me."

Alice shook her head no.

"Alice is going to sleep in a tent with me. We've already talked about that back home." Bella told Jessica while she pretended to be searching for something in her backpack. She was nervous somehow, nervous because her thoughts had been wandering about spending the night in a small tent with Alice. Yes, they already spent every night spooning on her bed, but out here, it was something different.

"Jeez, you're so cute, sticking together like real sisters." Jessica stated, stuffing some bubblegum between her glossy lips. Then she leaned forward over the back of her seat and called towards the front of the bus.

"Angie! Hey, Angie, do you want to be tent buddies?"

"Sure," Angela called back just when the bus driver stepped on the breaks and parked the bus at the side of a small parking lot.

"Shit, there is really nothing here." Tyler mumbled, flipping out his cell as they gathered around their teacher a few steps away from the bus.

"Put that cell away right now, Mr. Crowley." Mr. Banner snarled at him before he continued counting the students. How someone could get lost during a bus ride was beyond them, but anyway. Sometimes teachers were a bit too stressed.

"Let me remind you of the rules. No, cell phones, no smoking and when I catch one of the boys in a girl's tent, there'll be hell on earth for the lovebirds to pay."

"But Mr. Banner, what if the girls call for help? I mean there could be bears trying to attack them or snakes." Mike asked him, cracking his knuckles loudly as he pressed his hands together.

Jessica flinched when he mentioned the part with the snakes. She was terribly scared of those and the thought of them had kept her awake almost the entire last night.

"If you need to be a hero, you'll be it." Mr. Banner mumbled, flipping through the pages of his to-do list. "Now, make some teams and I'll hand you a worksheet that you need to get finished until tonight. Oh and please don't throw your trash around everywhere. Always remember, green is what? Good!"

Bella and Alice ended up in a group with Jessica and Angela. Angela was probably the only person in class who was taking this trip serious and within an hour the girls had finished all the questions Mr. Banner had given them to do.

"So, you and Ben are together now?" Jessica asked Angela while they leaned against a trunk, eating some sandwiches for lunch. "Like really together?"

Angela nodded her head while her eyes started getting a warm glow.

"For shit! Angie, that's so awesome. You need to tell us everything!" Jess called out, wrapping her arm around Angela's shoulder. "Have you done it yet?"

"Done what?"

"It. Sex. What else?"

"I don't think I want to talk about that. That's something private."

"Oh, don't be a boring prude now. You and I have been friends since first grade. Tell us what's going on between you two sweethearts."

"Just some kissing, nothing more, I swear. Please stop asking you're embarrassing me."

"But you need to promise telling us all the details, will you? True friends tell each other everything!"

Bella snarled and rolled her eyes at Jessica. "Like you told us when you and Mike did it. We had to learn the glorious news from him."

"Mike is a prick. I don't wish to be reminded that I had his thing in my mouth. The thought just makes me sick."

xxxx

After the sun had gone down it soon got unpleasantly cold outside. So, Bella and Alice decided to call it a night and climbed inside the small tent they had set up a bit earlier. Bella's birth father was a fan of hiking trips and Bella was used to sleeping in the most uncomfortable environment. However when she was just about to glide inside her sleeping bag, she felt something cold and slimy against her left foot.

"Yuck. What the hell is this?" she asked, taking a bit of a greenish slime between her fingers.

"At least it's not a snake." Alice said, leaning over to take a closer look. "Maybe it's some play stuff from Eddie."

"I'm going to kill him for smearing his yucky stuff inside my sleeping bag. Where am I supposed to sleep now?"

"Here," Alice whispered, pulling down the zipper of her own sleeping bag. "We can share mine."

Bella's skin felt as if it had been set on fire, the tingles in her stomach increasing when she pulled Alice on top of her inside the sleeping bag.

"Cozy like this, isn't it?"

"Yes, very." Alice murmured before she lowered her head to plant another kiss on Bella's mouth. The tip of her tongue pushed between the soft lips and heat started spreading in Alice's abdomen. She felt herself getting harder with every movement of Bella's body pressed so deliciously close against her own.

"I'm sorry." she croaked out husky. "I can't control that very well."

"Is that because of me?" Bella whispered shifting a bit around on top of Alice. The hardness of Alice's penis was rubbing against the inside of Bella's thigh and somehow it made Bella feel proud deep inside her for making Alice react like that. It meant she desired her, didn't it? Desire was a good thing, even when it made Bella nervous. Everything new made Bella a bit nervous and she didn't have any experience with doing more than kissing.

"Alice?"

"Am I making you uncomfortable? I'm sorry."

"No. It's okay. It's just, I've been thinking about us. I've not been with anyone apart from you." After a moment she added a shy. "I want you to touch me." She took Alice's hand and moved it underneath her wide shirt. "And I want to touch you as well."

Alice's dick twitched and very hesitantly she moved her hand up Bella's ribs, caressing the soft skin until her fingertips reached the underside of Bella's breasts.

"Beautiful. You feel so good to me."

Bella moaned. She pushed Alice's shirt up a bit and cupped both of Alice's firm breasts in her hands, tugging gently on their tips. She felt them pebbling against her fingertips.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked when she realized that Alice had started trembling a bit above her. She was breathing heavily, trying desperately to stop herself from coming this very moment. Bella's instinctive rubbing against her hard shaft was bringing her closer and closer to the edge. Their bodies were only separated by thin layers of cotton fabric, and both of them could sense the damp heat radiating against their thighs.

"Alice. Oh…fuck…do you want us to stop?"

Stop? How could Bella ask if she wanted to stop? She didn't want these amazing feelings to stop ever.

"I don't want to stop." she moaned, letting her right hand move down lower on Bella's abdomen. "I want to make you feel good. Can I touch you…here too?" she whispered between suppressed moans. Alice's fingers slipped under Bella's panties, slowly circling lower. What Alice touched here seemed so very different from her own body and yet so much alike. Bella was wet. Just like Alice herself, only that Alice was used to focusing on her throbbing erection instead of her female parts. She stroked Bella's soaked folds, massaging their outer lips tenderly between two fingers.

"Here," Bella whimpered, guiding Alice's fingers to her clit. "Please…here…oh…my god, yes…yes…you're going to make me come," she whimpered against Alice's ear a split second before her entire body tensed up, followed by a sweet, boneless lightness as her release flashed throughout her body.

After catching her breath again, Bella lowered her hand hesitantly to the very prominent bulge between Alice's legs. "You're hard…so very hard. Show me how to…I want to make you…I want to…make you come too."

Alice shivered, the moment she had Bella's hand wrapped around her shaft she was lost. She was too aroused, too far beyond the point of no return to think straight anymore. Her body quivered, her dick pulsed and twitched in Bella's palm as she climaxed in several spurts all over the warm fingers around her.

"Wow? What's that?" Bella mumbled, lifting her fingers to her face, eyeing the pearly-white liquid a bit too close for Alice's taste. Now, she felt embarrassed. This was awkward somehow. Wasn't it?

"I'm sorry. This happens when I...well, you know."

"Every time?"

"I'm afraid so. Give me your hand. I think I've got some tissues here to clean it up."

"Are you embarrassed now because of what we did?"

Alice shook her head. Then she rubbed the sticky wetness from Bella's fingers, caressing them tenderly while she tried to sort her thoughts again. Bella had touched her. She hadn't run away or made any mean comments. That had to mean something? Did Bella really like her the way she was? No one had ever done that. Alice hadn't expected it to be possible.

"Please, say something. You look like you're going to cry. I'm sorry for asking. I was just curious."

"It's ok. I don't mind you asking me stuff. It's just…you're so very accepting. Why? No one has ever liked me the way I was. My own mother doesn't. She says she loves me, but I know she's ashamed of me."

"Why do you think that?" Bella asked while she started playing with the messy curls of Alice's hair. "Is it because she sent you to live with us?"

"A bit," Alice answered after hesitating a moment. "Well, it has to do with that."

Alice sighed and swallowed hard. "Remember that guy I told you about? He spread the news about my…abnormality all around school. It was horrible. People treated me like I had some freaky contagious disease."

Alice's voice cracked, but somehow her heart felt as if a weight was lifted from it.

"I hate them. I hate what they did to you. How they made you feel." Bella told Alice, hugging her a bit closer in the sleeping bag. "I'm sorry, this happened to you. No one deserves to get bullied."

"Can we not speak about it anymore? It's painful. All I want to do is to forget about it."


	13. Chapter 13

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] I can't stay away from writing, even when I have a zillion of other things to do instead of it. Plot bunnies are evil little things and so much stronger than me. I really want to do that post - Breaking Dawn story. Someone else should write it for me...

Thanks for your reviews. I appreciate your support for my story a lot. They make this project so much more fun.

****13****

Carlisle Cullen was a good man. He had never even thought about cheating on his wife up until now. It was below the moral values that were so important to him.

With a sigh, he raised his head to the clock at the wall in his office, checking the time there again. Three more hours until his shift was over. The night was quiet. So far he had only been paged once to handle a stitching job that was the result of a bike accident.

He could try to sleep a bit. Maybe that would help him clear his thoughts. What the hell was wrong with him?

After walking around his desk a few times, he grabbed a thick folder from it and made his way to the orthopedic station on the third floor.

She was awake when he opened the door to her room. A pair of nerdy glasses on her nose while she had her head buried in a book.

"What are you reading?"

"Dr. Cullen. Is something wrong?" she asked looking up at him.

Yes, there is something very wrong with me, Carlisle thought. For some reason I can't stop thinking about you.

Everything had started out of pity. He had felt bad for Esme because she had been abused. No one ever came to visit her in the hospital apart from that bitchy blonde lawyer woman and her fiancé. She was alone too much and so he had tried being nice by giving her some of his most interesting cases to study them. To his surprise it had turned out that Dr. Platt was not half as naïve as he had assumed her to be. She was smart and he enjoyed discussing his cases with her a great deal. Probably a bit too much, he realized. If only she were ugly. If only her hair wouldn't smell that good if you sat close to her. If only her lips wouldn't look as if they'd feel soft like velvet against his lips, around his dick.

"Dr. Cullen?"

"Carlisle, my name is Carlisle. I thought you might be interested in reading this one. It's about conjoined twins."

She took the folder from him, making heat spread down Carlisle's spine as their fingers touched for a second. Damn it…

"They have only one liver? That would make the separation difficult, wouldn't it?"

"The children's father is going to donate a part of his own liver. It's going to be transplanted into twin B's body."

"Twin A and B? Don't they have names?"

"Their names don't matter for the case. The parents prefer to stay anonymous. They don't want their kids to grow up with people looking at them like a curiosity."

"I understand." she murmured, flipping through the pages. "Any parent would want that for their child."

"I guess so."

"Why didn't you want your daughter to get surgery then? I assume that things must be difficult for her."

"Alice doesn't need surgery. What she needs is for people to accept her the way she is. Her…condition…is not causing her pain, but a surgery would."

"I know. It's just...what if she falls in love. She' in that age now, isn't she? Boys are cruel."

"Some are," he murmured, letting his fingers move up Esme's exposed arm. The scars on it had faded into a pearly white, yet they were still there. How many scars were on her, which were not visible to the eye? How could someone treat her like this?

"Dr. Cullen?"

"I asked you to call me Carlisle, at least when we're alone."

"You and I, we shouldn't be alone."

He nodded his head and for a moment he felt as if the urge to reach out his hand and cup her face in his hand was unbearable. There was no way he was going to do that.

"I should leave now."

"You shouldn't have come here in the first place. You're tensed around me."

"I'm not tensed." he protested. "I just have a lot of things going through my head at the moment."

"Can we talk about Eddie?"

"What about him?"

"I asked you if you'd allow me to see him. You said your wife would agree to that."

"What Renee says and what my wife thinks are two different things."

"How so?"

"That's difficult to explain. She's bright and happy from the outside but inside of her…that's something else."

"I'm glad Eddie has found such nice parents like you and Renee. It's just that I wished, I wished so much, I hadn't signed the adoption papers."

"Well, I'm glad you did. It saved my marriage."

"Glad to hear it saved anything. Can you imagine how it's like to lose your child? The pain never really goes away."

"There are other options you had. Why didn't you just give the child into foster care for a while if things were too much for you?"

"It's complicated. My ex-husband didn't want any kids. I had no one but him. I'd done everything he wanted me. I was scared."

"I'm sorry,"

"About what? That I'm weak enough to let someone beat me?"

"You're not weak." he said, placing his hand carefully on hers. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"You don't know me. There was a time after the baby was born when I thought about good ways to end my miserable existence."

"I'm glad you didn't harm yourself." Carlisle croaked, tightening the grip around Esme's hand a bit. "You deserve better than this monster whom you married."

She sighed and leaned her head back against the pillows.

"I'm tired and sure you have other stuff to do instead of sitting by my side all night."

Carlisle's fingers caressed the back of Esme's hand before he pulled back. He couldn't do this. When he had told her she deserved better that had somehow included him too. What did he have to offer her? It was nothing but a few stolen minutes in the locker room, nothing but something that would make her feel cheap and low and him like a bastard. Carlisle already had one fucked up marriage behind him. He didn't want to mess up his second one.

Walking down the corridor he saw an elderly couple sitting in front of the patient's room. The man leaned over to the woman and whispered something into her ear that made her giggle loudly behind her hand in front of her mouth.

"Impossible. You are impossible. I bet they'll kick you out of this hospital."

"Not before they'll fix my hip." he stated, pulling her face closer to kiss her mouth.

Carlisle turned around on his heels, not wanting to interrupt the couple's moment of privacy. How long might they have been together?

He had never been someone to believe in soul-mates. There was no reason to start with it now.

xxx

Alice woke up several times during the night, the warmth of Bella's body pressed against her own radiated through her. It made her feel safe in a way she hadn't experienced it in a long time.

"You're awake? Can't you sleep?" Bella murmured, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "It's not time to get up yet, is it?"

"It's about four a.m. The sun is going to get up soon."

"I love sunrise. It's just so rare that I'm actually awake at that early time."

"We could watch it together. Come on, let's get up. We can't sleep properly in this sleeping back anyway. It makes me nervous to be so close to you…physically."

"Nervous?" Alice whispered, rolling them over in the sleeping back until she was on top of Bella. "I'm making you nervous? Nervous or excited?"

"Both. Last night…that was the furthest I've gone with anyone."

"For me too," Alice told Bella, gently pushing a wisp of Bella's hair behind the girl's ear. "You're not regretting it, do you?"

"I don't. Please, don't think that. I like you. I like what we did last night."

Bella's face reddened when she continued. "I'd like to do it again…soon, just somewhere where it's a bit more comfortable."

"Your bed back home is pretty comfortable."

"I know."

Alice kissed Bella's mouth, letting just the tip of her tongue ghost over Bella's upper lip for a moment before she pulled back.

"We're going to miss the sunrise and I don't want to risk getting hard again."

"Does it hurt you when that happens?"

"No, it doesn't. Don't worry about that. My penis is not causing me any pain."

"What was that stuff you squirted when I…well, when I touched you? Sperm?"

"Not really. I only have one testicle and that's inside my abdomen. Warmth is not having a good influence on sperm quality."

"I see. Could you make a baby, if you wanted to?"

"I don't think so. One of the doctors I had to see back home, run some fertility test. It showed a pretty low sperm activity. Not that it matters to me at the moment. I could always carry a child myself, if I'd wanted one."

"But who would be the father."

"There is this thing called sperm banks."

"A stranger? What if the guy's a total jerk? Let's say someone like Newton?"

"Uck – that's a disgusting thought. Let's get dressed. I can't go back to sleep now anyway."

They put on their clothes, giggling when Bella almost managed to throw over the entire tent when she tried to tie her shoe laces.

No one was up that early apart from them. Silently they walked a bit further away from the other tents. Alice helped Bella climb on a little rock. Then she wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Nice here, isn't it?" Bella said, admiring the grey sky in front of them turn into a warm red. The birth of a new day was beautiful.

"Very. It's even nicer that I'm here with you."

She looked around to make sure that nobody was watching them before she planted a quick kiss on Bella's lips.

"I'm glad you're here with me. I like you a lot."

"I like you. I think I lo-," Alice's words died in her throat when she heard a branch cracking on the forest ground.

"Morning, ladies, the early bird catches the worm or how they say."

"Mike, what you're doing here?"

"Tyler snores awfully. I didn't sleep one minute."

"That sucks." Bella told him, shifting a bit away from Alice on the rock.

"Doesn't matter, I can always crash when we get home this afternoon. Why are you two up that early?"

"We wanted to see the sunrise." Alice explained, fighting the instinct to take Bella's hand in hers again. They needed to be careful when others were around. How long would they manage to keep their affection for each other a secret? It had to stay a secret. Just another one Alice had to keep.

"Swan, do you want to go to the school dance with me? Alice can go with Tyler. He's planning on asking her."

Alice sighed deeply and shook her head. "I don't like Tyler and I wasn't planning on going anyway. I have other plans for that weekend."

"This is going to break Tyler's heart. He has it thick for you, Cullen. Bellsie, you're still going. Aren't you?"

"To the dance – yes, with you as my date – no way in hell."

"You're a stupid prude. I bet you're a fucking dyke."

"Well, that sure wouldn't increase your chances with me. Could you give us some privacy now? We'd like to enjoy the view without having your ugly face around to ruin the moment."

He spit on the ground and hissed something between his teeth before he walked off again.

"Such an asshole, I can't stand him."

"Mike is just a jerk. He's trying to get lucky with me since our freshman year. Don't tell Jess about it but I think he only dated her because he was somehow hoping it would make me jealous."

"I'm glad he's not your type."

"You're my type. I have a thing for beautiful girls like you."

"Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"The fairest of them all," Bella whispered, brushing her lips gently over Alice's forehead. "I'm glad you like me back."

Alice's insides heated with warmth. She had always believed in soul mates. Maybe she had found hers now…


	14. Chapter 14

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] I can't thank you enough for your amazing support. It means so much to me to know you by my side for this project. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Yes, I do have soap opera tendencies in my stories. I've tried to fight it but the truth is that I have way too much fun writing that way.

****14****

"Bella! You're back! Finally!" Eddie called out wrapping his arms around Bella's legs. "I missed you so much. Next time you have to take me with you." he told her, while she circled her fingertips gently over his hair. They needed to cut it. Renee should take a bit more care of that sort of thing.

"We missed you too, little lion. Where is Mom?"

"She's upstairs with her friend. We went to the zoo yesterday. He's nice."

"What friend? Mom! Alice and I are back!" Bella called towards the stairs before she followed Alice towards the small room at the end of the corridor.

"You don't need to help me with the laundry. Go and play with Eddie. He missed you."

Bella chuckled and hugged Alice tightly from behind. She could feel her heartbeat starting to quicken when she pressed her lips on Alice's neck, sucking gently on the soft skin there.

"We have to be careful." Alice whispered leaning back a bit closer against Bella's body behind her. This felt good. Everything felt so good to her when she was close to Bella.

"I know. I just can't stop touching you. I can't stop thinking about kissing you."

Bella's mouth was warm and moist on Alice's lips and when their tongues touched against each other, tingles of pleasure spread throughout the girls bodies.

"Isabella? Alice? Where are you?"

"Crap, that's Renee." Bella whispered, quickly planting a second kiss on Alice's red swollen lips. "Mom, we're doing laundry!"

They stuffed the rest of their clothes inside the machine, adding some wash powder to it before they pressed start. Then they tried to comb through their hair with their fingers in an attempt to flatten it a bit and walked out again. Both of them were determined to act as if nothing had happened between them.

"Hello Renee," Alice said, playing nervously with the rubber bracelets around her wrist.

"Hi Mom," Bella murmured, sitting down on the edge of the couch. She noticed the tall sun-tanned man standing behind her mother. His face was covered in sweat but he had a very content grin upon it.

"Oh girls, it's so good you're back. Did you have a fun trip? I know, Isabella hates camping trips, but what about you, Alice?"

"It was nice." Alice stated, sitting down on the other side of the couch, as far away from Bella as possible. Eddie jumped in between them, making the couch squeak underneath him.

"Look, Phil, my sisters are back."

"Hello girls. My name is Phil Dwyer. It's nice to meet you."

"Mom, since when are you giving Yoga lessons back home?"

Renee blushed and leaned down, starting to put Eddie's crayons back into a glass that was standing in the middle of the table.

"They're doing some renovations in my studio. Do you remember how I wanted to have everything colored in orange? Orange has a good Chakra."

"Whatever," Bella whispered, putting her arm around Eddie's shoulder. "We need to cut Eddie's hair. I've been telling you about this for weeks."

"No! I don't want to cut my hair! It hurts!"

"Oh sweetie, please don't cry now. Phil, I'm sorry but you need to leave now. I'll see you next week. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome," he said, flashing Renee another wide grin. "Good bye, ladies. Eddie,"

With that he walked out and Renee exhaled loudly through her teeth.

"You know what kind of tantrum your brother throws when we're taking him to the hairdresser. Last time he tried to bit the poor woman."

"Really?" Alice asked, turning to her little brother. "I didn't know you could be so mean."

"I'm not mean. The woman hurt me. She pulled on my hair with a metal comb."

"I'm sorry about that. But you need to get your hair cut. It's too long."

"I don't want to."

"Bella and I, we'll go with you, tomorrow after school and if you behave we'll buy you ice-cream, as much as you want."

"Kay," he said, leaning forward to grab the drawing from the desk. "I made a picture for my Bella but you can share it with her because you're my sister too."

"Thanks Eddie," Alice whispered, suppressing a giggle when the boy moved a bit away from her when she lowered her head to plant a kiss on Eddie's cheek.

"No kissies. They're yucky."

"Fine, I won't kiss you. That's a pretty drawing. Look, Bella. It's a dinosaur."

"That's a lion. Bella, tell her it looks like a lion."

"It does," Bella told him, taking the drawing from Alice. Their fingers touched and she felt electricity running through her arm. She couldn't wait to be alone with Alice again. Bella's heart heated with anticipation.

"Bella? Do you really like my picture?"

"I love it. Alice and I will hang it up in our room. Won't we, Alice?"

Alice nodded her head. "Why is the lion purple in it?"

"Because I gave my blue crayon to Jake." he explained, rushing off to the kitchen. "Mom, I'm thirsty!"

"Little tyrant. It's good that you're back girls. But jeez, you look tired. Maybe you should lie down a bit before dinner. I'm going to order some Pizza."

"Where's my Dad?" Alice asked.

"With his other wife," she told them, her voice a bit bitter. "You could think he's married to that stupid hospital and not me. Thank God, I could talk Phil into going to the zoo with me and the boy. His baseball team is sponsored by them. Isn't that exciting?"

"Mom, you know, I don't care about sports."

"Me too," Alice stated, standing up from the couch. "I'm going to take a shower now to wash all that nature off of me. Then I'm going to crash a bit."

When she walked up the stairs, Bella stared after her for a moment, admiring the roundness of Alice's backside. She wanted to cup it in her hands and squeeze it tightly.

"Isabella?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright, honey? You seem strange somehow, like something is bothering you."

"It's nothing."

"I'm sure, it's not nothing. So, tell me all about it. Is that about the girl you told me about?"

"Mom, please stop asking. It's embarrassing."

"You're like Charlie, always keeping your thoughts to yourself."

"I miss Dad. It's too bad he lives so far away from here."

"You could always visit him during your holidays, if you'd like to. Now, tell me about that girl you've fallen for. Is she nice? Is she on the volleyball team?"

"She's not. We're both not very sporty."

"Sport is fun. Is she in your book club? Is it that black-haired girl with those nerdy white glasses?"

"Angie? She's with Ben. Angela is nice but not my type. Can you stop asking me now? I'd like to keep my love life private."

"My baby girl is in love. That's so cute."

"Mom! I'm thirsty and can't reach the juice!"

"I'm coming!"

"I'll have to check on your brother. We'll talk later when he's in bed." Renee told Bella, hugging her quickly. "I'm happy you found someone special."

xxx

"You didn't blow-dry your hair. It's going to be all curly in the morning." Alice said while she continued wrapping wisps of Bella's long tresses around her fingers.

"I'm too lazy. If it looks like a bird's nest in the morning, I can always put it up in a ponytail."

"Probably,"

She kissed Alice and caressed the girl's face softly with the tip of her forefinger.

"My Mom thinks I'm in love."

"Did you tell her about us?"

"I'm not crazy. Renee is pretty open-minded but she wouldn't like the fact that I'm dating you of all people."

"We're dating?" Alice's heart made a double looping in her chest. "Like we're really together?"

Bella sighed and pressed her forehead against that of the dainty girl next to her on the bed. "Of course, we're together. If I wasn't broke, I'd take you out on a proper date."

"You don't need to spend money on me. It's not necessary. I just want to be with you."

"I just want to be with you," Bella whispered, touching her lips to Alice's again and again until their loud breathing echoed in the girls ears.

Her hand moved under the fabric of Alice's shirt and stroked gently over the soft skin around Alice's bellybutton before she moved her fingertips higher.

"Your skin is so soft."

"That's just that lotion I've put on after the shower."

"No, that's you." Bella murmured against Alice's neck. She tugged on Alice's shirt, trying to push it upwards without moving too much. Alice's face flamed and she leaned over to switch off the light.

"What are you doing?"

"Just switching off the light,"

"Why? I want to see you." Bella stated, running her thumb over Alice's ribcage.

"Nak-ed?" Alice's voice cracked nervously. "Are you sure you want that?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"I don't know, a bit maybe."

"Okay. No light then…well, a bit of light is okay, isn't it?" Bella said, standing up to fumble for something in her nightstand. "Are tea lights okay? I think those are scented ones."

"Hmm…vanilla, I like vanilla." Alice mumbled leaning back against the pillows behind her. She felt Bella straddling her lap and when the girl pushed her shirt up she lifted her arms up to help her.

"Beautiful, just beautiful," Bella whispered before she lowered her head to swirl the flat of her tongue around the nipple of Alice's left breast. Her hand massaged the right one and she felt herself growing moist between her legs as something hard pressed against her crotch.

"You're hard."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. I like how you feel against me when you're hard. It's amazing."

Slowly she lowered her hand to the elastic of Alice's pajama pants and pushed them down.

"No,"

"Trust me. I'd never hurt you."

Alice sighed and closed her eyes. She had no clue what she was going to do if Bella would be repulsed by her body. She was deeply in love with the girl and didn't want to risk losing her.

"Wow," Bella whispered more to herself than to the girl in front of her. She had always been curious. Maybe even more than it was good for her. Alice's body was different from anything she had seen in books before. It was different from anything others had told her before. The penis was hard, its purplish head pointing towards Alice's stomach. Right underneath it, where the testicles were supposed to be was a pair of moist glistening outer labia. For a moment Bella just admired the unfamiliar view in front of her. Then she leaned down and planted a soft kiss on the inside of Alice's thigh. The scent of arousal was intoxicating. She hungered to taste it in her mouth.

"Bella," Alice moaned when she felt a warm tongue circling between her slick folds. "Oh my god…oh…fuck…yes,"

"Quiet. We have to be quiet." Bella groaned against Alice's sex. "Can you be quiet, darling?" she asked, wrapping her hand tightly around Alice's shaft. She felt it swell even more in her palm when she started rubbing up and down the entire length.

"Excited, aren't we? Let's see how much more excited I can get you."

Bella took a deep breath before she pressed her lips against the head of Alice's penis, carefully sucking the tip into her mouth. She tasted a bit of slick wetness on her tongue. It was tart and slightly salty. The penis twitched when she run her tongue up and down the slit to lick up all of it.

Alice whimpered. The sensations that floated throughout her were overwhelming. Bella's mouth was so hot and wet. It felt amazing around her throbbing dick. She had never imagined that anything could feel like this.

Her hands moved to Bella's head, fisting into the girl's hair while Bella tried to take her deeper into the tight heat of her mouth. She hummed around her but started coughing when Alice hit the back of her throat.

"Don't. You don't have to go that deep if it's unpleasant for you." Alice mumbled. She was surprised that she was still able to form words. "Your mouth feels amazing. It's perfect…so…good…so…oh fuck,"

Bella's fingers massaged the part of Alice's length that she couldn't make fit into her mouth without choking.

"Move. You need to move…now." Alice groaned, as her insides tightened. Her climax ripped throughout her with an unknown intensity.

Bella had barely managed to turn her head before Alice had released into her palm with a loud groan.

"If we'll get caught, it'll be your fault. You seem to have trouble staying silent." Bella told Alice, wiping the aftermath of Alice's climax from her fingers.

"Hey, that was supposed to be a joke. You're not mad at me now, are you?"

Alice shook her head and after her breathing had returned to normal again, she stood up from the bed and kneeled down between Bella's legs.

"Let's see how silent you can stay." she whispered, pushing Bella's shorts and panties down the girl's ankles.

She blew softly over Bella's bare mound before parting her outer lips with two of her fingers. Her tongue quivered as she moved it around Bella's clit, teasing the little pearl over and over in fast circles until she felt a bit dizzy. She caressed Bella's entrance with her fingertips before she pushed one of her digits inside. The warmth inside Bella's body was like a slick, liquid fire. Alice wondered how it would be like to have this hot tightness all around her dick.

Bella groaned and pressed her hand against her mouth to stiffen her moans when she came hard. Her hips bucked against Alice's mouth, greedy for the contact of Alice's tender lips.

Alice swallowed a bit more of Bella's wetness before kissing her way up the girl's body again.

"Give me your mouth," she whimpered before she kissed Bella's lips. When she parted her mouth a bit, Bella could taste herself on Alice's tongue.

"I taste good on you. We…taste good together."

"We do," Alice whispered, leaning her head against Bella's shoulder. "And we need to blow out the candles before we fall asleep."

"Yes," Bella murmured tiredly. "I'll do that. Just give me a minute."

Alice managed to shift the half asleep girl a bit from her and leaned forward to blow out the candles on the floor.

"I think I love you," she whispered into Bella's ear before she drifted into deep sleep…


	15. Chapter 15

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for all your great responses on the last chapter. I appreciate your thoughts on my writing. Some of you seemed quite disappointed on the whole Carlisle/Renee/Esme situation.

Do you honestly think I would make Renee fu…Phil while her little son is in the same house? Don't you think I'd make them a bit smarter and let's say get a hotel room for that or something? Anyway, we shall see how things turn out. I hope you have faith in me and stay with me for the rest of the ride. This story is so much fun to write for me. I don't want to end it any time soon.

This chapter is dedicated to _**Arael89**_ for being the _**300**__**th**_ reviewer. Hope, you'll enjoy.

****15****

"Are you still tired?" Alice asked Bella when she turned off the engine of the car on the school parking lot.

"Maybe a bit," Bella murmured, stretching her arms above her head. "What about you?"

"I'm good. Last night was…intense."

"For me too," Alice whispered. Then she cleared her throat and began hesitantly. "I like you a lot."

Bella squeezed Alice's hand for a moment and sighed deeply. "I like you too. You make me all tingly…here," she said, placing their joined hands on her stomach.

"Are you sure that you're not just hungry?"

"I'll eat at lunch. I'm used to skipping breakfast. Renee has never been a kitchen goddess, and I don't care too much for Cereals."

"I see,"

"We'll have to go now. I don't want to risk getting detention again, especially not today, when we're supposed to pick Eddie up from kindergarten."

They walked towards the school building and Alice had to fight the instinctive need to take Bella's hand in hers again. Sisters held hands all the time, didn't they? No one would suspect anything, right?

"Morning, sweeties. How was the rest of your weekend?" Jessica greeted them cheerfully. She looped her arm through that of Alice and whispered a bit too loud.

"Tyler is going to ask you to the dance. Isn't that cool? We can go together. I'm going with Eric."

"Eric?"

"Well, there is no way I'm going there with this douchebag Newton. Eric looks good in a tux and he can dance without stepping on your toes all the time."

"I don't want to go with Tyler." Alice said. "I don't-," the rest of her excuse was overpowered by the loud squeak that left Jessica's mouth.

"Wow, that's so mean!"

SWAN IS A STUPID DYKE – was written with bright red letters all over Bella's locker.

Bella's face turned white, then red and finally back to ash-white.

"This is so mean. Alice, come with me, we need to get something from the janitor to scrub that away." Jessica said.

Bella's fingers quivered as she raised them to the first letter and rubbed carefully over it.

"This school is full of assholes. Don't take this to heart, Bella-honey." Jessica told her, waving Angela and Ben towards them as they walked down the hall.

"Look, some shithead, wrote crap on Bella's locker."

"Is that true?" Ben asked, running his fingers over the blond stumble on his chin.

"Of course it's not true, you idiot. Bellsie is not a lesbian. Come on, Bella tell Ben it's a lie."

Bella sighed, her mouth trembled and when she spoke up again the words came out raspy and hard.

"Mind your own business. It's my choice with whom I want to be."

She turned around on her heels, rushing towards the restrooms. The tears were already falling down her cheeks before she reached the door.

"Shit," Jessica hissed between her teeth. "Does that mean it's true? She's gay? Like gay – gay?"

"Alice, maybe you should go and check on your sister to make sure she's okay." Angela suggested, stepping nervously back and forth next to Ben.

Alice nodded her head and went after Bella. The girl was sitting inside one of the stalls, her face buried in both of her hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,"

"The entire school is going to laugh about me."

"They won't." Alice said. She wrapped her arms around Bella and pulled her close. "I'm so sorry about this."

"Kiss me." Bella sobbed, cupping Alice's jaw between her fingertips. "I need you."

The kiss was rough. The tension inside Bella's body lessoned when she felt Alice's tongue between her lips.

"Stop…we can't. Not here." Alice pulled back and fumbled for something in her handbag.

"Your mascara is where it's not supposed to be. Let me fix this."

Carefully she wiped away the trails of smeared black tears and planted another soft kiss on Bella's nose.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It's just…I'm not ready for this whole coming out thing."

"Neither am I. This is complicated enough, even just between the two of us."

"No, it's not. You and I, that's easy. The rest is what makes things difficult."

"Are you ready to go to class? I could tell Mr. Banner you're sick and had to go home."

"I'm ok. If I'd go home now, I'd still have to come here tomorrow right?"

Alice hugged Bella and kissed her hair softly before they made their way to the class room.

"Look, who decided to join us today! Miss Cullen and Miss Swan, didn't I make my point about being late for class clear to you last week?"

"We're sorry, Mr. Banner." Alice said, trying to speak loud enough for him to hear her.

"Excuses, I'm tired of excuses. Sit down now. We'll talk about this after class."

"Mr. Banner, it's really not their fault." Angela told him, her face a bright pink as she noticed everyone around her was staring at her now.

"Miss Weber, do you have anything to say to this?"

"Ye-s, Mr. Bann-er, Bella was up-set because someone wrote some st-uff on her lo-c-ker."

"What kind of stuff?" Mr. Banner asked placing a folder he had been holding on the desk behind him. "Angela? Forget it. I'm going to take a look at it myself. Be silent. I warn you."

When he was out of the room, Jessica leaned over to Bella's desk.

"Hey, Bellsie, I'm sorry. You're not really a dyke, are you?"

"What if I am?"

"That's gross. I understand that you don't like the morons at our school. Maybe you'll find a nice guy at college."

"They'll still be guys, won't they?"

"Yes, sure but-,"

The door to the classroom was pulled open again. Behind Mr. Banner followed the principle. His face was turned into a hard mask and he wiped some sweat pearls from his forehead.

"Good Morning, class. Mr. Banner here informed me about a very unpleasant incident. I'd like to remember you that this school does not tolerate any kind of discrimination."

"But Sir- it was probably just a joke." Tyler stated, crumbling a sheet of paper between his hands.

"Just a joke?" The principle snored, stepping closer to Tyler's desk. Mike who was sitting behind him quickly stuffed his hand into the pockets of his jacket. The red paint had left some stain under his fingernails.

"If I wrote stupid Nigger on your locker, would you consider that a joke too?"

"Sir, you can't compare that." Ben said. "That's something completely different."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't choose to be black,"

"And you think gays do? Huh – probably because the world is such a nice, accepting place for homosexuals."

"Sir, you have to understand. We don't have anything against gays. They're ok, if they stay for themselves." Tyler mumbled barely audible.

"Are you scared?"

"I'm scared for the safety of my butt."

"Yeah, you'd better be. Everyone knows gays take it up the…,"

"Mike – keep your mouth shut. You're the most immature person I've met in a long row. To think that people like you are going to be allowed to vote in a year worries me."

"It's unnatural. The ass is not meant for…,"

"Mr. Newton, it's enough. What you need is a great dose of anti-homophobia training and that goes for the rest of you as well."

xxxx

"This is embarrassing," Bella told Alice when they were on their way to Eddie's kindergarten to pick him up. "This meeting with that gay right activist. I'd like to skip tomorrow when he comes to school but then people would gossip even more about me."

"I'm sorry. Maybe we should be a bit more careful. I mean…why did they write this shit on your locker? Maybe someone is suspecting something."

"We're careful enough. There were rumors about me even before you came here. I never dated anyone. I never swooned over some male celebrities."

"Is there anything I can do for you to make you feel better?"

"It helps that you're here. I'm glad you're here with me. You mean a lot to me."

"You mean a lot to me. Bella, I..I think…I lo-,"

"There he comes! Shit, why is there cacao all over his shirt?"

They stepped out of the car and Bella kneeled down in front of her little brother.

"Hi Eddie. What happened to your shirt?"

"Jake threw his cup over me. He's mean. I hate him."

"I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose. Didn't you Jakey?" she asked the little black-haired boy who was standing a bit away from Eddie.

"Hello Bella!"

"Don't talk to my sister. You're not allowed to talk to her."

"Eddie, don't be like that. Alice, can you put him in the car. I'll be right with you."

"Sure. Eddie, come with me."

"Don't talk to my Bella. She's my sister not yours." Eddie snarled at Jake before he stepped inside the car.

"You didn't spill your drink on him on purpose, did you?"

"Nope,"

"Is that the truth?"

"Yep,"

She sighed and stood up from the ground again. "I've heard your Dad bought you a puppy for your birthday."

"Seth is cute. Do you want to come and pet him?" he offered, granting Bella a toothless smile.

"Maybe another time, we're busy now. Take care, Jake."

"Bye, Bella." Jake called before he walked off to his father's car at the other side of the parking lot.

"You know where we're going. Don't you?" Bella told Eddie when she sat down in the car. "We're getting your hair cut."

"No! I don't want to!"

"We're bigger than you, so we get to decide. If you yell and make a tantrum, I'll never go anywhere with you again."

"Alice?"

"She's right. Be a big boy and behave. You want that ice-cream, don't you?"

"We have ice-cream at home. Mom bought some."

"That's not made with soy milk. Now, let's go to the mall to get this over with."

A couple of minutes later, the boy's green eyes filled with tears when he sat down on the hairdresser's chair.

"It will hurt."

"No, it won't." Alice assured him. "Here, I'll let them cut my bangs. Then you'll see it doesn't hurt, okay?"

He nodded his head and wiped some snot from his nose while he watched the silvery scissors snapping through his sister's hair.

"See, it didn't hurt." Bella said, taking Alice's hand to help her up from the chair. "We'll be right on the other side in the café. Behave."

"Kay, Bella." he whispered, fisting his hands into the cap around him. Then he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the noises around him.

"The kid is weird sometimes." Alice told Bella when they nipped on their coffee a minute later.

"Eddie is just a bit spoiled. Carlisle allows him everything to make up for being at work so much and my Mom is not the strictest person herself."

"He doesn't know about the adoption. I think that's a mistake. He has a right to know, don't you think?"

"He's too young. He wouldn't understand things."

"If we'll keep the truth from him and tell him when he's older it will be even worse."

"Alice, that's between Renee and your Dad. They need to decide when they want to tell him he's adopted."

"What about that woman, his birth mother?"

"Dr. Platt? I don't know what you mean."

"Well, when I was in the hospital she asked me some questions about Eddie. I think she cares more than she's aware. She might want to have some contact with him."

"And you're okay with that?"

"She's his mother."

"Mom is his mother. Dr. Platt is just…well, I don't really know what she is, who she is. But I love my brother and want to keep him safe."

"Bella! Look, I'm finished!"

"Wow, who's that pretty boy. Can't be our Eddie, can it? What do you think Alice?"

"He looks a bit like our brother, but I'm not sure."

"Alice! Of course, I'm your brother. Don't you know me?"

She laughed and pulled the boy on her lap, planting a kiss on the short-cropped copper hair.

"I hate kissies,"

"Bella, it's him. We can take him with us." Alice told Bella, pulling the girl with her. She carried the boy on her right hip, almost stumbling over to the side.

"Eddie can walk. Did you hurt yourself? He's heavier than he looks."

"I'm okay." Alice murmured, pressing her hand against her hip. Damn it, that hurt.

"Let's get the kid his ice-cream and then we'll go home. It looks like you could need a massage now."


	16. Chapter 16

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back to another update. I'm thankful for having such amazing readers like you by my side. Your love for my writing makes me happy.

Enjoy today's update and to those of you living in the States – Happy ThanksGiving, my Darlings.

****16****

Bella rubbed the oil between her palms to warm it up a bit before she placed her hands on Alice's back. Her fingers kneaded the soft skin and stroked down lower to stretch the tensed muscles tenderly.

"You shouldn't try to carry Eddie around. He's too heavy for you."

"Now, I know," Alice murmured, closing her eyes with a low sigh. Bella's massage was relaxing and arousing at the very same time. Each time Bella's hand moved a bit further to the sides, brushing her breasts with her fingertips, she felt heat between her legs.

"Is this good for you like this?" Bella asked, leaning down to whisper into Alice's ear.

"You're doing wonderful. Don't stop okay?"

"I wasn't planning on." Bella whispered. She opened the clasp of Alice's bra and tossed it away. "How'd you like me to massage you here as well?" Bella mumbled, cupping the small mounds in her oily hands.

Alice moaned and shifted over to her side, giving Bella better access to her breasts.

"You're so beautiful. Do you like it when I do this?" Bella asked, rolling the hard nipples between two of her fingers.

"Kiss me. I want your mouth." Alice told Bella pulling the girl closer to her on the bed. The moment their lips touched, Bella could feel arousing heat running through her. Her insides were on fire. She wanted Alice. She wanted to feel her warm skin against her own naked flesh.

"We're getting oil all over my shirt." Bella murmured between breathless kisses.

"Then you should get rid of it. In fact you should take off all your clothes, just to make sure."

Bella sighed. She stood up from the bed and quickly stepped out of her clothes. Alice's pupils dilated as she watched Bella's body hungrily. Such a beauty, she thought, reaching out her hands to caress the flat stomach. Then she grabbed the bottle with the oil from the nightstand and began rubbing it gently into Bella's skin, moving her fingers higher and higher until she felt the softness of Bella's breasts under her hands.

"Move a bit closer to me. Sit on my lap." Alice whispered. She was hard like a rock, her erection throbbing against the thin cotton of her underwear.

"God, Alice." Bella moaned as she rubbed her moist folds over Alice's erection. "I need you."

"I need you," Alice whimpered, grabbing Bella's hips to control the movements a bit better. "You drive me crazy. I've never felt like this before."

She lifted her hips to let Bella push the last remaining piece of clothing down Alice's ankles. Bella's fingers glide down Alice's outer lips, spreading the wetness she found there up to the hard dick at their top.

"Can I ask you something? We could really do it, couldn't we? Like intercourse?"

"If we wanted to…yes…we could. Are you sure, you'd want that?"

"Not yet. But I enjoy being close to you so much." Bella stated, stroking Alice's penis with her oily fingers. "I'm just a bit worried, it would hurt if we…when you enter me," she continued hesitantly before she leaned down to kiss Alice's mouth again. Their tongue found the same rhythm while Bella rubbed herself against Alice's pulsing length. Bella's clit was throbbing and after a few minutes she felt an intense climax building from deep within her.

Alice's heart filled with love and pride. It was her body who was giving such pleasures to her Bella. For the first time in a long time, she felt right and complete.

Bella's hand moved up and down Alice's penis, twisting and turning around until Alice's release coated her fingers in thick spurts.

"I'll be right back." she whispered, wiping her hand on a tissue. Then she pulled her nightshirt over her head again. "I need to wash my hands. They're all sticky."

"Sorry," Alice croaked slightly embarrassed.

"Don't. I like pleasuring you. You are so very responsive to my touch"

"So, are you, honey." Alice whispered, planting a soft kiss on Bella's lips. She watched after her as she walked out of the room. I want to tell her. I want to tell her how much she means to me. I love her, Alice thought, cuddling her pillow against her chest.

Bella tiptoed down the hall towards the bathroom. She cringed when she heard her stepfather's voice a bit louder than she was used to it from her parents' bedroom.

"For god's sake, Renee, I'd like to sleep now. I've been up for thirty-six hours."

"We never talk. Our marriage is not working if we never talk."

"Can we talk tomorrow, after I've slept?"

"Then you'll be at the hospital again. Is there another woman?"

"You're making things up. Your jealousy is ridiculous."

"I might not have been to some stupid fancy Med school but I know when something is wrong. You're acting different."

"Renee, drop it. What's wrong is the fact that you won't let me sleep. God damn it!"

"Lower your voice, you're going to wake the kids."

"Don't tell me what to do. Look, I don't know what you expect. I'm doing everything to provide you with a good life."

"But you're never home. This is not how I expected this marriage to be like. I want romance and passion."

"We're not teenagers anymore."

"Do you still love me?"

Bella heard him exhale between his teeth and when she heard him speak up again she knew he was lying. "Yes, yes I love you."

Her eyes filled with tears and it took her several minutes in the bathroom to compose herself again. She could remember the ugly scenarios during her mother's first divorce. How could she handle that again?

"Hey, are you okay?" Alice asked her worriedly when Bella returned to their room. "You've been gone forever and your eyes are red."

"It's nothing."

"You don't look as if it's nothing. Come here and tell me about it."

"Mom and Carlisle are fighting."

"Is it bad?"

"I think so," Bella whispered cuddling against Alice's warm body under the blankets. "I hate when they're fighting. It always reminds me of her and Charlie. That was awful."

"They're not going to get a divorce. Renee is not like my mother."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes. Please, stop worrying. Everything is going to be okay."

Bella sighed, nuzzling her face against the crook of Alice's neck. "Why do you think people stop loving each other?" she asked after a few moments.

"I don't know." Alice told her. "Maybe they just expect different things from their life. What do you expect from our relationship?"

"That you always tell me the truth." Bella said in a low voice as Alice took her hand to lift it to her heart. "I'll always tell you the truth. You mean a lot to me. I love you."

"Alice," Bella whispered before she kissed Alice's mouth again and again. Alice loved her. She had said it and Bella could feel the words were true.

"I love you too, she thought resting her head against Alice's shoulder. Maybe things would turn out difficult for them in the future. Right now though, everything was perfect, as perfect as a first love could possibly be…

xxxx

Charles Evenson was Esme Platt's first love and like all first loves this one had started out with great expectations. He was a dazzler. A jealous control freak who didn't show his true face to Esme until they were married and had moved away from her parents small home town in Ohio.

The first time he had raised his hand against her was after having watched her talk too long to one of her male fellow students. That night he had grabbed her by her long hair and smashed her head against the kitchen sink until she could taste bitter blood in her mouth. Maybe this had been the right moment to run. Esme couldn't run. She loved him. He loved her and no one had ever loved her before in her young life. At least that's what he told her over and over again. During the first two years the beating constantly got worse. Esme learned how to lie. She figured out how to cover the bruises on her face with thick make-up. She never socialized with anyone and the people at her Med school were starting to think she was a bit weird. Who wears long sleeves in the hot Californian summer all the time?

Charles was obsessed with Esme. The thought of losing her tortured all of his thoughts. Then she told him she was pregnant and he broke the knuckles in her left hand when she refused to have an abortion. What were they supposed to do with a kid? They were both still at university. Esme's scholarship was barely enough to provide for the two of them.

She had tried to protest when he had placed the adoption papers in front of her. But Esme was weak and Charles knew what buttons he had to push to get her to do what he wanted. Afterwards, when he had driven her home after the birth, she was numb. For several weeks she didn't speak one word unless he asked her directly. Esme's light had been killed.

Then one night about a year after their son had been born, Charles came home to find his beautiful, depressed wife gone. She had left him a note, explaining that she was going to fill for divorce. Anger spread through him as he crumpled the sheet of paper between his fingers. A week later a thick envelope with a blue stamp saying – _Hale & McCarty Family Attorney's_ - had arrived at his house.

He refused to send the papers back three times. Then he finally agreed to the goddamn divorce. He knew it meant nothing. Esme was his wife in front of God. Their church didn't believe in divorce. Esme was his forever, and he would punish her for running away from him. He'd punish her hard. All he had to do was find her first…

xxxx

"Esme, did you hear anything I just told you?" Rosalie asked the woman, nipping on a cup of horrible black coffee. She had a meeting with another client in thirty minutes but somehow she felt responsible for Esme Platt. The poor thing had no one else to care for her.

"I've heard you. I don't think I can do this, Rosalie. It has been five years. The boy wouldn't understand things."

"But you're unhappy with the current…situation."

"I've been unhappy most of my adult life. It's something I'm used to."

"Look, I've told you before. It's your choice whether you want to fight for custody or not. I'm on your side."

"Maybe I can talk the Cullen's into letting me see the boy. That would be a good start wouldn't it?"

"Why would they agree to such a thing? It was a closed adoption."

"I've talked to Carlisle."

"Carlisle? You're calling him Carlisle now? Did I miss something?"

Esme's cheeks turned red and she tried to hide it by turning over to her right side, supporting her weight on her left arm. She was in love. She had never expected to fall in love ever again. Her heart was racing, making her dizzy in her head. It didn't even matter to her that her feelings were one-sided. All what mattered was the warm feeling deep inside of her. It was like a light in her darkness.

"You've got a crush on him? How can you be so stupid?"

"It's nothing." Esme mumbled tiredly. "Nothing that matters,"

"Well, you've changed your mind about the custody thing. That sure as hell means something."

"I can't destroy a family. I just can't,"

"Esme, sweetie, the thing you should worry about right now is whether you're destroying yourself with the choices you're about to make."

"Rose-,"

"Just think about it. You deserve better. Look, I have to leave now. I'll call you tonight. Try to figure out what you really want. Good bye, Esme."


	17. Chapter 17

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for your reviews. Your support means a lot to me. I hug all of you in my thoughts.

****17****

Bella sighed deeply as she and Alice made their way towards their lockers. The red paint had been scrubbed off. Still she felt as if everyone's eyes were on her as she pulled out her books.

"They're looking at me." Bella whispered to Alice who placed her hand on Bella's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. They'll find something else to gossip about soon."

"I hope so. Let's go to class now. It will be a nice to once being there before Mr. Banner."

As soon as Bella and Alice entered the room the conversations stopped and Jessica's jaw dropped open.

"Hi Jessica," Alice murmured waving her hand at her. "How's it going?"

"O-kay, I think. Morning, girls."

Jessica took a deep breath and made a few quick steps towards Bella. She wrapped her arms around Bella's middle and hugged her tightly.

"You and I, we're still friend, aren't we?"

Bella nodded her head, a bit puzzled by Jessica's sudden affection.

"Didn't know you like pussies now, Stanley."

"Mike, just shut up. Bella is nice. She's fun to be around and that's more I can say about you…asshole."

Mike hissed through his teeth and threw the sheet of paper he'd been smearing on into the trash next to the door. Unfortunately in that moment the door was pulled open and a big hand managed to catch the paper ball before it ended in the trash.

"Are we in kindergarten here? Stop throwing around stuff." Mr. Banner snarled angrily. He cleared his throat and leaned back against his desk.

"Class, this is Mr. Dwyer. He's going to hold your lesson about Homophobia. I expect you to behave appropriate for your age."

He rubbed his chin for a moment before he continued.

"There is something else I need to inform you about. Our Mrs. Cope had to take the rest of the semester off. Her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer and she needs to take care of her."

"Yeah, no more History for the rest of the year! Great news!" Tyler called from his seat in the back row.

"The poor Mrs. Cope, that's just horrible." Angela whispered. Her grandfather had died from Alzheimer a few years ago and she instantly pitied everyone who was forced to endure the same faith.

"We're all sorry. Can you pass that on to her, Mr. Banner?" Jessica asked, playing around with the curls of her hair. She wondered if Bella found her attractive. Not that it mattered but still…

"Thanks Miss Stanley. I'll let her know. As for your History lessons…I'm glad to inform you that the school was able to find another teacher who is able to take on Mrs. Cope's classes. I'm going to come back later with him to introduce you. Mr. Dwyer – they're yours now."

Phil smirked and for a few moments he didn't say anything. He crumpled the sheet of paper between his fingers and tossed it into the trash.

"Hi guys! I'm Phil."

"Are you gay?" Ben asked curiously, leaning his head up on his palms.

"Is that the first thing you ask strangers when you meet them?"

"No, not really,"

"Interesting," Phil mumbled, sitting down on the edge of Mr. Banner's table.

"Mr. Dwyer, he's just asking because of the whole homophobia meeting stuff." Angela told him, shifting back in her seat.

"Please call me Phil. Mr. Dwyer is my father. Your teacher forced you to have this meeting with me, right?"

"Kind of," Jessica confessed. "We're not homophobe. One of my best friends is gay." When she said the last words her eyes sparkled full of pride.

"Jessica wants to fuck Swan. Isn't that nice?" Mike mumbled his eyes glaring to his ex. The thought of Jessica between Bella's legs was arousing for him. His dick twitched in his pants and he grunted loudly.

"Are you feeling well?" Phil asked Mike, a smile flashing over his face.

"Yeah, I'm good. Look, this meeting here is bullshit."

"Bullshit. Well, at least that's an honest opinion. Is there anything you'd like to ask me, folks?"

Tyler's hand moved upwards.

"You don't have to raise your hands. This is not a school class. What do you want to know?"

"How did you find out you're like that?"

"How did you find out your straight?" Phil asked back, flashing a bit too much of teeth when he smiled encouragingly at Tyler.

"I don't really know. It just seemed normal to me."

"You like girls because you consider that normal?"

"No, I just like girls."

"You mean you like tits." Eric chuckled. "I've been to your room. Your porn collection is the bomb, tits in all sizes."

"This is the kind of information, I don't need to hear."

"Sorry, Phil," Eric said, high-fiving Tyler next to him.

"What do you do for a living?" Angela asked, looking up from her desk. "Do you do this gay rights work full time?"

"No, I play baseball."

"For shit? Gays can't play ball. Everyone knows that." Mike called. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and chuckled.

"Do you think my team hired me because I look so handsome in my tricot?"

"I don't know." Mike murmured, staring out at the window.

"But you know that gays can't play. Who told you about that?"

"I don't know…my dad perhaps? What does it matter?"

"I'd just like to know. Are you scared of gays? Or are you worried you could be gay yourself?"

Mike snored. "I'm not a stupid fag. I had lots of girlfriends."

"Lots? As far as I know you were still a virgin when we got together."

"Keep your mouth shut, slut."

"I smell break-up drama in the air." Phil said. "Let's save this conversation for another time. Okay? The topic is still homophobia."

"I don't mind the homos, as long as they aren't after my ass." Tyler stated, rocking back and forth a bit on his chair.

"After your ass? So, that's what you're concerned about. You think someone is going to molest you?"

"Kind of,"

"Why?"

"Because everyone knows gays like to lure in young men." Tyler whispered hesitantly.

"Everyone seems to know a lot of stuff. I'd like to meet him one day. It should be interesting."

Phil sighed and stepped closer to Tyler's desk. "You can always say no."

"I know. But I don't know how I'm supposed to react when a man started…like hitting on me or stuff."

"Kick his gay ass. What else. Tyler, why are you asking so much about this crap?" Mike asked.

"Because he's here anyway, isn't he? Stop being an asshole, Newton."

Phil's eyes flickered to the clock at the wall. "Our time is almost up. I'll leave some flyers on the desk. Feel free to contact me, should you have any more questions."

The bell rang and everyone jumped up. "Hi Phil," Bella greeted him as she walked forward to open a window. "How are you?"

"Sore like shit. Your mother has no heart. She tortured me during our last session."

"Isn't yoga supposed to be relaxing?"

"Depends on what kind of yoga you're doing."

"I see. I'm not very sporty."

"You just need to find something you like or someone you like." he added with a grin. "Renee told me you have a girlfriend."

"My mom talks too much." Bella said. She escorted Phil down the hall and took one of the flyers from him.

"Ever been to a gay club?"

"How would I get into a club without an ID that says I'm twenty-one?"

He grinned. "I have friends who own a club. I'll get you in if you promise me not to get drunk."

"Deal! Thank you, Phil. I'll give you my number and then we'll set something up."

The bell rang again and Bella rushed back to the classroom. She noticed that Alice had her head buried in a book and wondered what was going on in her head. It was sometimes so difficult to tell with her. Would she like going to that club with her? It could be fun.

Mr. Banner entered the class room again, followed by a lean man in a grey suit. His thick hair was combed back with a lot of gel and his lips were pressed together in a tight line.

"Class, let me introduce me to your new History teacher. This is Mr. Evenson."

xxx

"The new teacher is a bit creepy." Alice stated when Bella parked the car in front of the library. "I don't like him."

"That's probably because you suck at History, honey. I'm going to help you with your essay."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"I said helping, not that I'm going to write the whole thing for you. The sooner we finish our homework, the sooner we can move on to the nicer parts of the afternoon."

Alice smiled and quickly scanned the area around them to make sure no one was watching before she pulled Bella into a tender kiss. She sighed when she felt Bella's tongue parting her lips. Would those butterflies in her stomach ever disappear?

"Let's go inside. I want to show you my special place."

"Special place? You have a special place in the library?"

"Sort of, I discovered it last year. It's in the top part of the building."

Bella spoke briefly to the woman at the counter. She took a pile with books from her and waved with a key.

"Follow me,"

"A key? For what?"

"It's the key to the closed section under the roof. They keep the stuff there that they're planning on throwing away, but sometimes you can find real gems up there."

She handed Alice a few of the books and walked up the stairs. When she turned around the key in the lock and opened the door Alice sneezed from the dust that swirled up.

"Doesn't it smell heavenly here? Like old books and leather. I love it."

Bella walked around and caressed the book shelves with her fingertips. Then she placed the books she was holding on the ground and sat down on a couch in the corner of the room.

"Come here. I'd like to have another kiss from my pretty girlfriend."

Alice sat down on Bella's lap, weaving her fingers through Bella's long hair.

"What if someone comes up?"

"No one ever does. Not many people have such a thing for old books like me."

"You're special." Alice whispered. She closed her eyes and lowered her mouth to Bella's. Their lips and tongues moved with each other in a perfect breathless harmony and Alice could feel herself getting hard against Bella's stomach.

"You're hard,"

"Because of you, I can barely think about you without getting hard."

Bella's right hand moved between their bodies and Alice shivered as the girl's fingers brushed lightly over her crotch.

"Do you want us to do it? Like really do it?"

"Here?"

"No. The couch is not that comfortable. I just want to know if you'd like to sleep with me."

"If you want to,"

"I want to know what you want, Alice."

Alice moaned softly and pressed her lips on Bella's neck, feeling the jugular pulsing against her mouth. For a moment she sucked gently on the tender flesh, pulling back soon because she was scared to leave a permanent mark on Bella. Maybe she secretly wanted to mark her, mark her as hers.

"Alice?"

"I want to make love to you but I'm scared. I don't want to hurt you."

She kissed Bella's mouth and sighed. "The thought of causing you pain makes me feel awful."

"I'm worried about that too. Maybe we just take things a bit slowly? There is so much we can do without going all the way."

"Right," Bella mumbled, letting her hand glide over Alice's shirt. "We have time,"

"We have forever."

"Do you think we're going to stay together forever?"

"I showed you my special place. That means something. I love you"

"I love you too." Alice whispered, taking Bella's hand in hers. "I'm glad we found each other."

"Me too, more than I can tell you. Now, let's get start working on your essay. I'd like to go home with you soon."


	18. Chapter 18

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back, my darling readers. Thanks for all your reviews. I appreciate your interest in my story.

_FAQ's_

Are Emmett and Rose a couple?

Yep, they are. We'll read more about them in one of the future chapters.

Is Phil gay?

Maybe we should ask that question his boyfriend…

****18****

Bella had never been good at keeping secrets from Renee. The two of them were close, somehow even more like friends than mother and daughter. Still, now for the very first time in her life Bella had something that she couldn't have Renee find out about.

Her heart was overflowing with the love she felt for her stepsister. Alice was special. Maybe even more than the young girl was aware of it herself.

The two of them had started making it a habit of spending the nights in one bed. Bella loved having Alice so close to her. Often she was woken up by her beloved's hardened length pressing against her from behind. It made her insides tingle and she wondered how it would feel like to have Alice's penis thrusting in and out of her soaked pussy. How much pain would there be? Jessica had admitted that it had hurt like a bitch and bled when she had done it for the first time. Her scary stories didn't exactly encourage Bella when it came to possibly having intercourse with Alice.

"Penny for your thoughts," Alice whispered into Bella's ear. They were sitting on Bella's bed, notebooks on their laps as they were trying to finish their homework for the next day.

"I've just been thinking." Bella murmured. "About us,"

Alice smiled and cupped Bella's face in her palm to pull her close enough to kiss the girl's mouth. Their tongues touched gently against each other and a whimper left Alice's lips as she felt herself getting hard again. Alice was still amazed how accepting Bella was about her body. She loved how it felt to have Bella's warm mouth around her length. It made her feel cherished. Alice was determined to do anything in her power to make Bella as happy as it was possible. How big were her chances of finding another lover who wouldn't freak at the sight of her unusual genitals? Close to zero probably. Alice wouldn't risk losing the one person who loved her the way she was.

"Dinner is ready!" Eddie's light voice squeaked through the house. "Dinner is ready!"

Bella sighed and stood up from the bed. She braided her hair and kissed Alice for a last time before they walked down the stairs.

It smelled delicious, a clear sign that Carlisle had been the one doing the cooking duty tonight. He waved his hand at the girls before stepping behind his wife to plant a kiss underneath Renee's ear.

"Daddy made Enchiladas." Eddie informed his sisters as they sat down at the table. "I helped him."

"I bet it will taste even better because of that." Bella told him with a smile.

Alice poured herself a glass of apple juice before filling Bella's glass as well.

"Did you girls finish your homework?" Renee asked. She had noticed that her Isabella was starting to behave a bit strangely, whenever her stepsister was around. Maybe it had been a bad idea to have them share one room. Young girls needed their privacy, especially now that Isabella had a girlfriend.

"We're almost finished with it. Our new teacher gave us some shitty project for History class."

"Alice said a bad word!" Eddie squeaked, dropping his fork on his plate.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to."

"But she's actually right. It was way too much work. That man managed to make himself unpopular within the first day." Bella told her mother.

"You have a new teacher?" Carlisle asked. He lifted his glass to his lips and sipped on the wine. Things were better now. Renee wasn't mad at him anymore and he had managed to stay away from the beautiful caramel-haired Intern who was ruled too many of his thoughts.

"Mrs. Cope had to quit. Her mother is sick. It's a miracle that woman didn't burn down her house or something."

"Mrs. Cope was fun. She let me paint flowers all over her walls. It looked pretty."

"You better not do that here at home, Eddie." Renee warned him before she put some more salad on her plate. She had managed to lose a few pounds and felt proud about it.

"Alzheimer is an awful disease." Carlisle stated. "At least they managed to make a decent price with the house. It will help them cover all the future costs her care is going to cause for the family."

"Our new neighbors are nice." Renee told the girls. "I've spoken to the man this morning. He's fun. Not at all like you would think a lawyer would be like."

They finished dinner and Bella helped her mother with the dishes while Alice played with their little brother in the living room.

"She's good with him," Bella told her mother. "In a few weeks Eddie will like her better than me."

"I don't think so. He loves you." Renee cleared her throat and leaned back against the sink behind her. "Sweetie, I need to ask you something."

"Kay," Bella mumbled, stacking the plates together. "About what?"

"Are you okay with Alice staying in your room? I thought because you have a girlfriend now. If the two of you want to be alone now and then—,"

"It's ok. I don't mind. Where else would she sleep? We don't have another room."

"I could talk Carlisle into emptying that room in the basement. He has his office in the hospital to keep his medical magazines and all that stuff."

"That room is small and dark. I wouldn't want Alice to stay there." I don't want her to sleep in another room, Bella thought. I want her with me.

"What about your girlfriend? You know that I'd be okay with her staying over. I'm not old-fashioned."

"But her parents are." Bella murmured towards the floor. "Now, are we finished here?"

"Sure, sweetie, you can go. I handle the rest myself here."

Bella wiped her hands on a dishtowel and called towards the living room.

"Alice, we're done. Let's go upstairs and finish our essays for Evenson."

Renee dropped the glass she was holding. It cracked into a dozen pieces when it hit the floor of the kitchen. "Damn it!"

She kneeled down to pick everything up. Her hands were trembling. Evenson. Renee hadn't thought about the name Evenson for over five years. Maybe it was just a concurrence. But no, Esme Platt had shown up too. Carlisle didn't want to talk about it but she knew that now that the woman had seen Eddie, she would want to do it again. Why would anyone give up such a sweet child as Eddie? The adoption had been her husband's idea and at first Renee had been skeptical about it. How is one capable of loving a stranger's kid like her one?

xxx

Alice had decided to call her mother before she went to bed. It hadn't been a very pleasant conversation. She had accidentally told Irina that she had met someone special.

"Be careful," Irina had warned her. "You know what happened here back home with this awful boy. Jackson…or whatever was his name."

"James, his name is James, Mom. I don't wish to be reminded of that."

Alice heart cramped in her chest. She remembered those horrible months of being bullied way too much. Something had been broken deep within her. She didn't know if it could ever be fixed again completely.

"I just want you safe, baby girl. Have you thought about the surgery? I'd send you the money for it."

"No, Mom. It's not necessary."

"Does that mean your thick-head of a father has finally agreed on paying for it?"

"Dad says it's my choice whether I want to have the surgery."

"Great. He should have agreed to it after your birth. It would have saved all of us from a lot of trouble."

Alice sniffed. She lifted her hand to her eyes, wiping some tears from their corners. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"No, honey, of course not, I just want what's best for you. People are rude. I don't wish for you to get hurt again because you are different."

"But what if I find someone who likes me the way I am?"

"Alice, what people think and what they say are two different things. You should go to bed now. Remember to be careful. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom." Alice whispered, ending the call.

She went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. For a few moments she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Did Bella really love her? Or was she just curious about her being so different? She loved her, didn't she?

"Hey, there you are." Bella greeted her as Alice entered their room. She lifted the blankets and petted the place next to her. "Come here. I'm cold without you in my bed."

Alice sat down at the edge of the bed and sighed. "My Mom wants to send me money for my surgery."

"What kind of surgery?"

"_That_ surgery," Alice said, lying down behind Bella on the bed. She wrapped her arms around Bella's waist and pressed her nose against the other girl's neck. This was better. She instantly felt safe now.

"Do you want to have it?"

"No…yes, I'm not sure. I always thought I was. But now everything is different." Everything is different because of you, Alice added silently in her head.

Bella turned around and put Alice's face between her hands.

"I like you the way you are. No one apart from me needs to know about your…secret. I will protect you."

"I love you," Alice whispered. "I'm just worried to get hurt again."

"I'll never hurt you." Bella stated. She kissed Alice's mouth, letting the tip of her tongue glide over the lower lip. "You can trust me."

"I do." Alice told Bella. She moved her hand underneath Bella's shirt and started massaging her breasts tenderly. "You feel so good to me. Do you like this?" she asked, rubbing her thumbs over the sensitive tips.

"Yes, please…don't stop." Bella moaned. She rolled on her back and closed her eyes, feeling her panties becoming damp with arousal when Alice took one of her taut nipple between her lips to graze it carefully with her front teeth.

Alice let her fingers stroke down Bella's abdomen before they slipped finally underneath the pajama waistband.

"I love you. I want to make you feel good," Alice whispered. She moved her fingertip over the fabric of Bella's underwear. The material was soaked. Alice loved how Bella's body responded to her touch. Her dick throbbed and she had to lower her other hand to it to give it a gentle tug.

She pulled down Bella's pants and pressed a kiss on the inside of her thighs before she let her tongue dive between the girl's bare folds. Alice wanted to make Bella come. She blew gently over the pearl of Bella's clit, always changing her movements from fast flickers to slow circles down to the slick entrance and back to the clit again. Bella's entire body tensed and she bit into a pillow to keep from screaming when her release rippled throughout her with unknown intensity.

"Your turn," she whispered when she had managed to catch her breathe again. "You're already so hard for me, aren't you?"

Alice whimpered when Bella took the tip of her penis between her lips and started sucking. Bella wrapped her hand around the base, trying to take as much of Alice into her mouth as possible.

"God, Bella…oh..fuck…oh fuck. Move, baby. I'm going to…I…fuck,"

Bella hummed around Alice's penis in her mouth, sending the girl over the edge. She coughed when the first spurt of salty liquid filled her mouth but managed to swallow all of it quickly.

"You're okay?" Alice croaked, when she was able to speak again. Bella nodded her head and coughed again.

"I was just a bit surprised."

"I tried to warn you." Alice told her, rubbing Bella's back gently with her hand.

"It's okay. I don't mind. You taste me too, don't you?" Bella said, her face heating with a blush.

"I love it. I love tasting you." Alice confessed. She pulled Bella on her lap and leaned her head against Bella's collarbone. "I love you."

"And I love you." Bella whispered. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of Alice's skin as deeply as possible. It didn't take long until both of them were fast asleep…

XOXOXXXOXXXOXXO

[A/N] Those of you who are open-minded to reading boy-slash are welcomed to check out my new one-shot. It's called _**Claiming Souls**_.

Until next time,

MyTwiDreams

xxx


	19. Chapter 19

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for your lovely reviews. I appreciate your interest in my story here a lot.

****19****

It was not her day, Alice just knew it. The new teacher, Mr. Evenson had chosen her as his new favorite victim. There was something about that man that made her instantly feel uncomfortable. She just couldn't point out what it was. Every time he called her up in class, she flinched and felt her palms starting so sweat. When he asked her another question, one she couldn't answer again, Bella whispered the correct year into her ear by leaning a bit over to her desk.

"Miss Swan, is there a problem?" Evenson snarled at her, his eyes narrowing a bit behind the silver-framed glasses." And Miss Cullen, I'm still waiting for your answer."

Bella cleared her throat and before she spoke up she forced her lips into a polite smile. She was usually good with teachers and knew how to handle them. Mr. Evenson wouldn't be different. Would he?

"I wanted to ask Alice for a new pen. Mine is not working anymore and I like to take notes during class."

"Hmm,"

"And the answer to your question is 1901."Bella added quickly.

"That's correct, Miss Swan, but I asked Alice here and not you. It seems like you don't have any problems in History."

"I don't. You're right about that."

"Well, that's nice to hear. Now, open your textbooks on page 28. Alice, you can read the first paragraph out loud."

Alice sighed. She leaned down to grab her book from her backpack. The new teacher didn't like her. He was an asshole, one that had figured out how much she sucked at History within a few minutes. Evenson most likely had a sick fun making her look like a complete idiot in front of the class.

"Miss Cullen, I'm waiting. You know how to read, don't you?"

"Ye-s, Mr. Evenson, I'm just look-ing for my book."

He clicked his tongue and walked towards Alice's desk with a few quick steps. She shrugged when he was next to her and dropped the entire content of her backpack all over the floor.

"Alice has the same klutz gene like Bellsie." Eric chuckled. "I thought, you guys are just steps."

"Mr. Yorkie, there is no reason for you to talk right now. Would you like to spend your lunch break in my office? No? Well, then you better keep your mouth shut!"

Evenson kneeled down and when he noticed the picture on the ground, he froze. This was impossible, was it? He grabbed the picture and placed it carefully on the edge of Alice's desk, as if the paper could burn his fingers.

Alice looked happy in the picture, much unlike now. He was fine with that. It was not part of his job to make students like him. What made him feel weird was the pair of tiny green eyes in the young boy's face who was standing next to Alice in the picture.

He hadn't seen those eyes in years, but that didn't mean he had forgotten. Charles Evenson would never forget about his whore of a wife who had left him.

"I see you after class, Miss Cullen." he pressed out, before he turned around on his heels and walked back to his desk.

When the bell rang, Bella picked up her stuff, but stayed next to Alice until the rest of class had left.

"Miss Swan, you may leave."

"I need to wait for my stepsister anyway, Mr. Evenson."

"I see. I see." Evenson mumbled. He wanted to ask Alice about the boy. There was only one reason, how the child could have inherited Esme's eyes.

For a moment, he waited for some kind of hidden fatherly feelings to arise. There weren't any. All he felt deep inside of him was the familiar hatred and bitterness towards his ex-wife. Esme was still his. In the eyes of God they were still married, no matter what some kind of low-life judge might have decided…

"Mr. Evenson, what do you need from Alice?"

"Nothing in particular." he told Bella, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible. "She just should work a bit harder, I think. Maybe you could help her with that. School is important."

"I know, Mr. Evenson." Alice whispered. "I just missed a lot of classes last year. I'm sorry about that."

"Were you sick?" Evenson asked, folding his hands in front of his chest "Miss Cullen?"

"Ye-s," she stuttered. "But I'm bet-ter now."

"That's nice to hear. You probably should give up your babysitting job for a while too, so that you can focus better on your studies."

"Babysitting?"

"I saw the picture of the little boy you have in your bag."

"Oh that's just Eddie, our brother. He's the reason why we really need to leave now. My mother is working and we're supposed to pick him up from kindergarten." Bella stated, granting Evenson another fake smile.

Evenson told them to leave and sat down on the edge of his desk. . He played with the golden wedding band on his ring finger. Forever, Esme was his forever. She would regret that she had left him. He'll make sure, she regret it.

xxx

"He hates me." Alice complained to Bella during their ride to Eddie's kindergarten.

"Evenson is a bit strict. I can help you with your homework if you want to. Please, don't be so scared of the fucker. I hate to see you chicken out like that."

"I don't like the entire class staring at me when I don't know the answer to something."

"Most of them were just relieved that Evenson didn't pick them."

"I can understand that."

"We're there. Shit, he's the only child that's still there. Poor little thing."

They parked the car and stepped out. Bella rushed towards her brother and lifted him up. "I'm so sorry, little lion!" she called out.

"I thought you had forgotten." he told her reproachfully.

"We would never do that. Did you have fun in kindergarten today?" Alice asked him.

"He and Jake have been fighting again." Tanya explained. "I'm kind of tired of these two. It's not like they're the only kids I have to look after."

"I'm sorry, Tanya. Mom talked to Eddie about it, but it doesn't seem to have the effect we wished for."

"I can tell you what's wrong with him. He's too spoiled."

Bella and Alice told her goodbye and put Eddie into his seat. When Alice started the engine again, Bella hissed between her teeth.

"Tanya is a crappy kindergarten teacher. If she can't handle kids, she should get a new job."

"Tanya was angry at me and Jake today." Eddie told Bella, kicking his feet against the seat in front of him.

"You need to stop fighting all the time. It's not nice." Alice said, trying to sound strict.

"But Jake made fun of my hair. He says it looks just like rust."

"What did you do when he said that?"

"I pushed him from his chair. I don't want to have rusty hair. Rust is ugly!"

"Your hair is pretty the way it is." Bella assured him.

"Why can't I have blond hair like Daddy? No one of us has stupid rust hair, just me."

Bella thought of Dr. Platt and the way her copper hair framed her heart-shaped face. The two of them looked so much alike. How much longer would her parents keep it from the boy that he was adopted?

She sighed and stepped on the gas pedal. None of them noticed the black SUV that was standing in the right corner of the parking lot although it had never been there before that day.

When they arrived back home, Eddie had almost fallen asleep in the back of the car. Bella had to shake his arm to wake him up.

"Let's go inside. You can lie down a bit, if you are tired." Bella suggested, fumbling her keys out to open the door.

"I am not tired! Naps are for stupid babies!"

"Stop yelling. Naps are nice. Alice and I like them. Don't we, Alice?"

"Sure. We should have one right now. Shouldn't we?"

"That's a good idea. We just have to make something to eat for Eddie first."

"I'm not hungry. Jake gave me a muffin. It was yummy."

"See, Jake is nice to you. You need to stop fighting with him."

"But Bella…,"

"No but. No one likes a boy, who starts fights all the time."

"You have to like me. I'm your brother." he stuck out his tongue and rushed up the stairs to his room.

"He gets whiny when he's tired." Bella told Alice. She sat down next to her on the couch and wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulder. "It's annoying."

"Doesn't matter," Alice mumbled turning her head to Bella so that she could kiss her girlfriend's mouth. She had been thinking about kissing Bella the entire day. It was so difficult to stay away from her when others were around them. "I love you. I wished we had more alone time."

"Me too," Bella said before she started planting a row of open-mouthed kisses down Alice's throat. "I can't get enough of you. Your skin tastes so good to me, like salt and honey."

Alice's hand moved down Bella's back and when she slipped it underneath the fabric of the girl's shirt she felt a pleasant tingling in the pit of her stomach.

"We need to stop. Renee is going to be here any minute."

"Later?"

"We have all night." Bella whispered, leaning in for a last tender kiss. They needed to be careful. Neither Carlisle nor Renee would be accepting should they find out about the romance that was going on between their daughters.

The sound of the doorbell made them jump apart.

"Seems like my mother has lost her keys again," Bella said, standing up from the couch."

She opened the door but instead of Renee a tall man waved his hand at her with a tennis racket. His curly hair was damp from sweat that was pouring down his forehead.

"Hi there," he greeted her. "I think my ball landed in your yard. Could you get it for me?"

"Sure. Just wait here. I'll be right back." She went to the other side of the house and found the yellow tennis ball between her mother's flowers.

"Thanks," the man told her, when she handed the ball back to him. "I'm Emmett by the way. You must be Alice."

"I'm Bella. How do you like it here so far? My mom said you and your wife moved here."

"I'm still working on making her my wife. Rosie is a bit skeptical when it comes to marriage. It must be a result of dealing with divorces and stuff twenty-four-seven."

"Oh right. You're lawyers, right?"

"We're not just lawyers. We're the best fucking lawyers in the entire town."

"I never had anything to do with any, but that's probably a good thing."

"If you ever need one, let me know. I'd be happy to help a neighbor for free. Do you know if there is a good kindergarten somewhere near here?"

"My brother goes to the one in Andrew's Street. That's not too far."

"Great. Do they have a waiting list?"

"I have no idea. Maybe you should ask that my mother. She might know it. How far along is your fiancée?"

"Rosie is not pregnant. I just like to plan. Better be prepared than sorry."

"Probably," Bella murmured. She told him goodbye and closed the door behind her.

"Who was that?" Alice asked her when she returned to the living room.

"Just the new neighbor. Now, where were we before we got interrupted?"

Alice giggled and pulled Bella on her lap. "We were talking about how we need to be careful."

She kissed Bella and sighed. "I didn't expect it to be so difficult to keep my hands off you."

"I know." Bella mouthed, blowing another feather-light kiss on Alice's upper lip. "But unfortunately it's necessary."

"We're not actually related. It's not illegal for us to be together." Alice said.

"Yes, but you and I, we live together. I think that still makes it weird in the eyes of others."

"I can move out after my birthday. It's just a couple of weeks."

"No, please don't do that. I like living with you. I especially like having you in my room with me every night."


	20. Chapter 20

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome to another update, my lovely readers. Thanks for your reviews. Your support is everything to me.

****20****

Alice's fingertips touched against Bella's behind their backs as they stood in the doorframe to tell their parents goodbye. An entire weekend just to themselves, they almost couldn't believe their luck. One of Carlisle's aunts had suffered from a stroke and so he and Renee would be flying to Phoenix to arrange her move into a special-care home.

"I want to stay home with Bella and Alice." Eddie sobbed, rubbing his face against Renee's side. "I don't want to visit Aunt Renata. She always gives me yucky kissies."

"Your sisters can't babysit you all the time. It will be fun in Phoenix. I promise." Renee told him, while she fumbled out a tissue to clean some snot from his nose.

"I've left you my credit card for emergencies." Carlisle said, placing their suitcase into the trunk of his Mercedes. "But remember, no parties while we're gone."

"Sure, Dad." Alice mumbled, squeezing Bella's hand. It was so random that the two of them had alone time. They would cherish every single minute of this weekend.

"We have lots of stuff to do for school." Bella stated. "Mom, you don't have to worry. Alice and I are practically adults."

"I know, sweetie. Try not to work too hard. You're young and should have fun too."

Renee hugged first Bella than Alice before she and Carlisle drove off. They waved their hands at their little brother in the backseat until the car disappeared around the corner.

"Puh, I can't believe they're actually gone." Alice called out as she and Bella walked back inside the empty house.

"It's just you and me now." Bella whispered, wrapping her arms around Alice's waist. She leaned forward and let the tip of her tongue caress the subtle skin on the smaller girl's neck. "I love you."

"I love you." Alice mumbled, turning her head so that she could kiss Bella's moist lips. Finally, she thought. We're finally alone in the house, without anyone to disturb us.

"Are you hungry?" Bella asked. "We could order some pizza. I don't feel like cooking today."

"Bacon and Mushrooms?"

"You're on."

Half an hour later they were sitting cuddled together on the couch. Bella had just stuffed the last piece of the pizza between her lips.

"Oh god, I'm so full. I can't move anymore."

"Not necessary." Alice chuckled. She pulled Bella's head on her lap and started circling her thumb down the girl's nose.

"You're pretty."

Their mouths touched, tongues gliding teasingly slow against warm lips. Alice whimpered when she felt the pleasant tingling in the pit of her stomach. She loved Bella. How long would they stay together? In a few months they'd be off to probably separate Colleges. Alice didn't want that to happen.

"Bella?" she asked hesitantly. "You and I are going to stay together. I mean, even when we don't live here anymore."

"What kind of weird question is that? I love you. Of course, we're going to be together. I want to be with you forever."

"What if we end up in difficult colleges?"

Bella sighed. She took Alice's hand and stroked gently over the delicate fingers. "We'll figure something out. It would be fun going to College together, wouldn't it? We could get an apartment together instead of living in the dorm."

"I think I'd like that."

"Great. Now, we only have to get accepted in the same place."

"My grades are crappy. None of the good colleges is taking me and you need to get into a good place if you want to become a doctor."

"Your grades are just bad because you missed so much stuff last year. I'll help you. Try not to worry."

"Kay,"

They kissed again and after a few moments, Bella's hand moved underneath Alice's top.

"If I tell you I like your breasts, would it we weird?"

"No,"

"Good," Bella murmured, letting her fingers stroke over the cotton fabric of Alice's bra. "Because I really do," She pushed the cups of the bra down and rubbed her thumb over the sensitive peaks. When she rolled them softly between her fingers Alice whimpered.

"Maybe we should take this upstairs to our room?" Bella whispered, slowly standing up from the couch.

The bed squeaked a bit underneath them when Alice pushed Bella gently against the pillows.

"I want to feel you." she moaned, her lips sucking on Bella's throat. Their tops landed on the floor, moments later followed by their bras. Alice admired, how Bella's nipples instantly pebbled against the tip of her tongue when she swirled it around them.

She was hard, her erection rubbing up and down between the inside of Bella's thighs. Wetness dampened the fabric of her underwear.

"Do you sometimes imagine how it will be like when you're inside me?"

"Bella, you can't say stuff like that to me. It's going to…oh fuck…,"

Bella groaned, her hands quickly fumbling down Alice's shorts together with her underwear. She swallowed back a moan in her throat when she wrapped her hand around the twitching penis.

"I bet it would feel good for you, maybe even better than my mouth."

With that she lowered her head, taking just the wet glistening tip between her lips.

"Oh god…oh fuck…," Alice's insides tightened. The heat around her was consuming her, getting stronger with every inch of her length that disappeared between Bella's full lips. This was beyond divine. Still, she didn't want to come like this. Not yet.

"Stop, you need to stop, baby."

With a slurping noise Bella released her again. A smile flashed over her glowing face.

"I like having you in my mouth. It's not how I imagined it to be like after what others told me."

"Jessica tells you too much shit. This is also why you're nervous about sleeping with me."

"I'm worried it will hurt. I've never…well, you know."

Alice cupped Bella's face between her hands. "I want to make love to you, but only if you want it too."

"I want to. I'm just…nervous. What if it hurts?"

"Easy, then I'll stop, we'll stop." Alice murmured, her left hand moving underneath the waistband of Bella's shorts. When her fingertips rubbed over the damp lace material a heartbeat later, both of them moaned.

"I would never hurt you. I'd do this slow, so very slow." Alice's voice quivered as one of her fingers slipped inside Bella's underwear, pushing just about one knuckle inside the tightness.

Bella lifted her hips a bit and Alice's finger glide deeper inside her. She could feel her insides stretching. It felt good, even more so when the other girl added a second finger after a couple of minutes.

"You feel so good around my fingers, warm and slick and just perfect."

Alice's heart skipped a bit. She wanted Bella, really wanted her in a way that was almost physically painful.

When Bella tossed down her shorts, the two of them shifted around on the bed, the tip of Alice's pulsing erection, gliding back and forth over Bella's sex. Shivers went throughout Bella's body whenever its tip brushed against her swollen clit.

Their eyes met, lips interlocked into a deep kiss. Instinctively Bella parted her legs a bit further. She leaned her forehead against Alice's and very slowly, inch by inch she lowered herself on her lover's penis.

"Ahhhrg,"

"Wait…just wait…oh god…fuck, you're so tight." Alice could barely manage to form words. Bella's inner muscles were cramping around the head of her penis, driving her insane.

Then suddenly the heat was gone. Bella whimpered, taking several deep breaths before she spoke up again. "Maybe it's easier, when you are on top of me?"

Alice moaned. She caressed Bella's moist folds with trembling fingers, rubbing her clit until she could feel Bella's body tensing up with a beginning release. That was when she pushed inside her again.

"In me, you're in me." Bella croaked. The pain was sharp and raw, yet at the same time it was mixing with an unknown level of pleasure.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No, keep going. Can you try to move? Oh…god, Alice,"

Bella's insides tightened. She could feel every single cell in her body vibrating. Alice's narrow hips jerked back and forth. Sweat was pooling between her breasts as her climax rippled through her. For a moment her vision blurred before she collapsed on Bella's chest.

"I love you." Bella sobbed and when Alice pulled out, she could hear the girl whimpering. Crap, now she had caused her pain. Hurting Bella was the last thing on earth Alice wanted to happen.

"I'm so sorry. Is it bad? You should have told me to stop."

"No. I…just…I didn't imagine it to feel like this…it hurt…but it felt good too."

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know."

"Are you still in pain?"

"A bit, but it's okay."

"It's not." Alice stated, standing up from the bed. When she looked down at herself, she saw a bit of blood on her penis. It made her sick to know that she had hurt Bella.

Bella winced when she sat up in the bed. The pain was duller now. She would be pretty sore for the next days. That much she was sure about.

"Alice, look at me. Yes, it hurt…but I…don't regret it. I liked having you inside me."

"How much did I hurt you?"

Bella sighed. She didn't want Alice to feel bad about this. It would ruin everything.

"I'm good now, just a bit sore perhaps. I think a long hot soak would be good now."

"Good, I'll run a bath for you. You just stay here." Alice said. She planted a kiss on Bella's hair and rushed off to the bathroom. Here she light some tea lights and turned on the water. She added some vanilla scented oil into the running water. It filled the room with its sweet, warm aroma.

"Hey," Bella murmured, blowing kisses on Alice's neck. "The bed is too big without you in it."

They stepped into the hot water. The warmth felt amazing against Bella's sore sex. She sighed and leaned back against Alice behind her.

"I'm glad my first time was with you." Bella whispered. "I love you."

"I love you. Is the pain better now?"

"Yes, much better. This bathing together is nice, isn't it?"

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply when Alice started washing, first her arms and fingers, then finally her chest.

"Our apartment needs to have a bathtub. It's a must." Alice mumbled against Bella's neck.

"Sounds like a good idea. Where do we want to move?"

"I don't care, as long as I get to be with you."

"I'm not going anywhere without you. I promise."

They kissed and cuddled until the water surrounding them turned cold. Alice put some lotion on Bella's shoulders, massaging them tenderly.

"You're good at this. Maybe you should consider becoming a massage therapist."

"Like my mother? I don't think I'd like massaging sweaty old men with lumbago or whatever medical conditions they might have."

"Ah, that sounds yucky. Well, you'll find something you like better, I'm sure about that."

Alice pulled a long shirt over her head and kissed Bella's mouth. She took the girl's hand and circled her fingertip over Bella's ring finger. If she bought her a ring would she wear it?

"What are you thinking?" Bella asked, moving her brush through her tangled tresses. She was too lazy to blow-dry it, so she just braided it together. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing," Alice told her quickly. "Just been thinking about stuff. We're going to need money when we move out." And I need some money to buy you a ring she added in her head. A ring would be nice, wouldn't it? Or maybe a bracelet?

"I've worked in Mike parents' shop during the last summer. The money was pretty good, but seeing Mike every day was annoying."

"I can't stand the idiot for crying out loud. He's a total jerk."

"I know. Newton's is not the place where we can get a part-time job. We'll find something better."


	21. Chapter 21

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate your interest in my story here a lot.

****21****

Bella still felt sore when she opened her eyes the next morning. She groaned, stretching her arms and legs before she sat up straight in the bed.

"Good Morning," Alice greeted her, placing a tray with their breakfast on Bella's lap. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby. You're cute for making us breakfast. Why didn't you wake me up? I could have helped you."

"I wanted to surprise you."

Alice leaned forward and kissed Bella's mouth. She caressed the girl's messy curls that had escaped the long braid in her neck.

"Are you still sore?"

"Yes, a bit. But that's probably normal after a girl's first time. I don't regret anything."

She petted the place next to her and sighed when Alice pulled her face close to kiss her again. "I love you."

"I love you. What do you want to do today?" Alice asked her, drizzling some honey on a piece of toast.

"Staying in bed all day long seems like a pretty good plan to me." Bella murmured. She lifted the cup with hot chocolate to her mouth and sighed deeply.

"I feel bad for causing you pain. I should have been more careful."

"Alice, stop this. You were wonderful, so tender and caring. If you talk like that I'm starting to believe you regret it."

"I don't. It was better than I've ever imagined it to be like. I want to do it again." Alice stated. She reached out her hand and circled her fingertips down Bella's shoulder, drawing an invisible heart on the bare skin.

"Soon," Bella murmured. "Very soon,"

They finished their breakfast and Alice moaned softly when Bella kissed away a tiny droplet of dried hot chocolate from the corner of her mouth.

"I'm so lucky, I've found you. You are special." Bella whispered.

"My mom always says I'm special but what she really means is that I'm a freak."

"You are not a freak. You are different. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you."

"I wished I wasn't different. My entire life, I've been worried about people finding out my secret."

"And it is safe with me." Bella assured her. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Alice nodded her head. She still couldn't believe how very accepting Bella was of her. Her hands moved down to her crotch and she remembered how often she had hoped for some miracle that would change her genitals into that of a regular woman. Maybe finding Bella was the true miracle she needed.

"I want to be with you forever. I can't wait until we have our own place."

"Me too, but I'm a bit worried about our parents. If we want to stay together, we can't hide our relationship from Carlisle and Renee for the rest of our lives."

Bella cuddled against Alice from behind. "It's not forbidden for us to be together. We are not actually related."

"I know. But what if our parents get mad at us?" Alice asked worriedly.

"We'll figure something out. Please, stop worrying so much. It's not right."

"Worrying," Alice mumbled. "At least we don't have to worry about you getting pregnant."

"Pregnant?"

"I don't think I can get you pregnant."

"You think? What in heaven's name is that supposed to mean? I thought you can't..ahm…father…a child?"

"Well, I think I can't. One of the doctors that examined me told me that my sperm rate is extremely low."

"But you could still…I could still? Oh crap!"

"Bella, calm down, the risk is minimal. You don't need to worry."

Bella jumped from the bed and fumbled her notebook out of her backpack. She flipped through the pages, looking for the tiny, red cross that she used to mark the first day of her period with. Panic spread throughout her. How could she have been so stupid? A baby was the last thing she needed right now. Yes, she wanted kids, but later—much later.

**XXX**

"This is unnecessary." Alice told Bella when she parked the car in front of the hospital about an hour later. "You're not going to get pregnant."

"I just want to make sure. Neither of us is ready to have a child."

"Yes, Bella, but I think you're overreacting a bit. What are you planning on telling the doctor?"

"Nothing about you, if that's your concern."

"Are you angry at me?"

Bella shook her head. "I'm just really worried right now. Maybe, I'll feel better after a doctor checks up on me."

This is embarrassing, Alice thought as they entered the hall. It was a Sunday and for some weird reason E.R's were always crowded on weekends.

A nurse handed them some papers to fill out while they were supposed to wait. Bella's hand circled over her perfectly flat abdomen. What if? What if? No, she couldn't let that happen. It would be a complete disaster, if she would get pregnant now.

"Alice?"

Dr. Platt looked pale. She was sitting in a wheelchair. It would take at least another month until she would be able to work again. So, much agony just to save some little birds? Esme would never again try to climb on a tree.

"Hello, Dr. Platt. How are you feeling?"

"Quite okay, I'm impatient to get this cast off my leg. Doctors are horrible patients. Everyone knows that. What are the two of you doing here?"

"Well, we—," Alice started hesitantly.

"I need to see a gynecologist. It's an emergency…kind of." Bella whispered nervously.

"Did someone hurt you?" Esme asked Bella, rolling her wheelchair a bit closer to the brunette girl.

"No…it's nothing…I just...I…I don't know…crap, we should have used a condom."

"Oh, I see. Well, if you stay down here, you'll be waiting for the rest of the day. I can bring you upstairs and ask one of the gynecologists on the second floor to take a look at you."

"You're an angel. Alice, do you want to stay here or come with me?"

Alice cringed. The entire situation made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She should have just kept her stupid mouth shut about things. Now, her weekend with Bella was ruined. Bella would hate her for the rest of her life if she was pregnant now.

"I'll wait here until you're finished."

"Good," Bella whispered. "Wish me luck,"

Esme rolled towards the elevators and pressed the button to the second floor.

"Breathe. Everything is going to be okay." she told Bella when the metal doors closed behind them.

"I feel like an idiot. It's not like I don't know how contraception works like."

"I guess so. People make mistakes. How long has it been? When you are still within the first 36 hours, the emergency pill might be an option."

"Yes."

"You are lucky your stepfather isn't here this weekend. I think he has some family thing going on. At least that's what his secretary told me when I wanted to return his files."

"Mom and Carlisle are taking care of an aunt that had a stroke."

"Oh that's sad to hear. I hope she'll be alright. Would you just wait over here in that room? I'll just need to find someone who owes me a little favor."

Bella sat down on a plastic chair. Her hands were sweating. She wished that she had Alice with her right now, just to hold her.

The wall in front of her was covered with countless baby pictures. Just what Bella needed right now…

"Dr. Alistair will be with you in a couple of minutes." Esme said. She noticed how Bella was staring nervously at the baby pictures.

"Cute, aren't they?"

"I don't want a baby. It would ruin my life."

Esme cringed. Wasn't that exactly what Charles had told her after she had told him she was expecting her son?

"Dr. Platt, are you alright?"

"I was just in thoughts. You can call me Esme if you want to. How is my…I mean how's your little brother?"

"Eddie is good. He's with Mom and Carlisle in Phoenix. Maybe you should ask my mother if you could see him again?"

"Carlisle thinks it's not a good idea. He's probably right. The boy would only get irritated if they told him about the adoption."

"Perhaps,"

Esme took a deep breath and reached out her fingertips to touch one of the Polaroid pictures. "I want to see him so badly, but I know it's impossible. I gave up any rights I had when I signed these goddamn adoption papers."

"I'm sorry. That must have been difficult for you."

"You have no idea. I wished I could turn back the time and make undone what happened but it's impossible."

The door was pulled open and a tall man with shoulder-long curly hair entered the room. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he hadn't shaved for at least a week.

"The Chief's stepdaughter is here. Esme, I'll take care of this. Do you want to spend my lunch break with me when I'm done here? They're making Lasagna in the cafeteria today."

"You know, I don't eat any meat. Especially not here,"

"Ah, not this tofu crap talking again. You can have salad if you want to."

"Kay."

"Great, then I'll see you downstairs in twenty." He stated, his lips curling into a wide smile.

"What a woman." he murmured to himself after closing the door behind her.

"Now, Miss Cullen, what brings you here today?"

"Well, I…I had..I have…,"

"Don't be shy. Just tell me what bothers you."

"I had sex last night and we didn't use a condom."

"Well, at least you've been smart enough to come here instead of just hoping that everything will turn out okay. I'll write you a prescription for the emergency pill. Remember to use a condom-the next time."

XXX

"I'm sorry." Alice told Bella when they arrived home again. "I was too careless and now you had to suffer the consequences."

"We're in this together. Next time, we'll just use one of those little fuckers and everything will be fine."

She opened the door of the car and pulled the box with the condoms out. They dropped out of her hands, covering the asphalt on their drive-up with two dozens of blue foil wrapped condoms.

Alice was just about to pick them up again, when a basketball landed about an inch away from her face.

"Oh!"

"Crap, did I hurt you?" A brown-haired guy asked her, jogging towards you. "I told Em, we should go and play in the park."

Emmett chuckled and when he stepped closer and saw the condoms on the ground, he burst out into laughter.

"Wow, that's a lot of protection. The girls these days seem to have a lot of fun."

Bella helped Alice to pick up the condoms. Her face blushed into a bright reddish color.

"They're for a school project."

"Yes, sure, what else? When I was at school we never did anything that interesting."

Alice cleared her throat. "How are things going with your fiancée? Does she like it here?"

"She's visiting her folks this weekend. I had to step back from the trip because I'm supposed to be working on a case."

"You're supposed to?"

"Yeah, you get it. Look, my father-in-law is a terrible pain in the ass. I don't need to spend more time around him than necessary."

They walked towards the front door of their house. Alice searched for her keys while Bella continued listening halfheartedly to Emmett's talking.

"Your parents are gone?"

"Just for the weekend, they'll be back tomorrow." Alice stated, pulling out the key. "Enjoy the rest of your free weekend."

"Same to you." he mumbled, waving his hand at them before he turned around.

"Shit, that was embarrassing." Bella said, sitting down on the stairs. "At least it wasn't Mom or Carlisle."

Bella took a deep breath, exhaling slowly through her slightly parted mouth. "We need to be careful. Next time we'll make love, I want us to use one of those." She said, holding the box with the condoms up. "I'm going to store them under my bed."

"Good idea." Alice whispered. She kneeled down in front of Bella, taking both of the girl's hand in hers. "I'm sorry that we had to go to the hospital. This is my fault. If I—,"

"It's not your fault, okay? We're in this together. I love you."

"I love you. I love you so much, Isabella Swan."

"Please, don't call me Isabella. I can't stand my full name. Can you bring me a glass of water? I need to swallow these pills now."


	22. Chapter 22

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back, my dear readers. I hope that all of you had some good Christmas Holidays. Thanks for your reviews. I appreciate each one of them.

****22****

The next following day was awkward for both of the girls. Bella suffered from cramps even worse than those she had during her period and Alice felt terribly guilty because to her it was her that was responsible for Bella's agony. Throughout the entire night she spent her time making tea for Bella and bringing her hot-water bags. On Tuesday it was still not better and Renee decided it would be better to let the girl stay at home for one day.

School was horrible for Alice. She felt lonely without Bella by her side. It was embarrassing for her when during lunch break Tyler asked Alice again if she wanted to go to the School dance with him. When she told him she wouldn't, Jess had wrapped her arm around her shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Are you gay, like your sis?"

Alice shook her head. She wasn't ready for coming out to anyone. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she was really into girls or if this was just about Bella. Her heart made a little jump in her chest when she thought about the other girl's soft lips pressing gently against the spot under her ear. Maybe she wasn't gay, but she was definitely gay for Bella.

"Is Swan really sick or is she just ditching?" Mike asked Alice, while he stuffed a hotdog between his lips.

"Bella doesn't ditch, she's a careerist." Ben mumbled, placing his tray next to Angela's on the table.

"There is nothing wrong with taking school serious. Alice, you'll tell Bella, we hope she gets better soon." Angela told Alice before she buried her face in her biology book again to prepare herself for the next class. Angela Weber was a good student. Her only weakness was that she was way too shy to speak up in class. It made her feel as if everybody was staring at her.

"It's nothing serious, is it?" Jessica asked Alice. "I could come over after school and visit her, if she wants some company. What she has is not contagious, right?"

Alice shook her head. "No, it's not. She just has…cramps."

"Ah, I see. The poor thing, periods suck. I used to have such awful cramps during my period but now that I'm on the pill it's gotten way better."

Mike crunched the empty soda can on his tray between his fingers.

"You're just on the pill because you're a slut. Everyone in this school knows that."

"Watch your mouth, Newton." Jessica snarled. "I know stuff about you that you wouldn't want other to find out."

"You wouldn't dare—,"

"Don't be so sure about it. Stop acting like an ass and grow a pair. No wonder you can't manage to get a stupid date for the dance. Who would want to go with a shithead like you?"

He growled and grabbed his tray. When he walked off, Jessica hissed between her teeth.

"I hate him. Fuck, I gave my virginity to someone I hate! Can you imagine something worse?"

Alice cringed. What if Bella would regret that the two of them had sex? She was so quiet in the morning, so much unlike her usual behavior. The thought was painful for Alice. She loved Bella and the possibility of losing her beloved's affection was nightmarish for her.

Fortunately the rest of the school day passed by pretty soon and even Mr. Evenson left her alone during today's history class.

On her way back home, Alice stopped by at the mall. She usually hesitated using the credit card her mother had given her. For emergencies only, Irina had told her daughter.

Well, maybe this should count as one, Alice assured herself when she stepped inside a small jewelry store. The beautiful heart-shaped pendant she found would be just perfect for Bella, she was sure about that.

When Alice entered the house about an hour later, her mood was way better. She couldn't wait to give her gift to Bella and was curious about the girl's reaction. Both their parents were gone. Bella was lying on the couch, zapping half-heartedly through the channels.

"Hey there," she whispered, looking up from the screen. "I was worried you got lost. Did you get detention?"

"No, I just lost my time a bit." Alice mumbled, sitting down next to Bella on the couch. She took Bella's hand and rubbed her cold fingertips softly. "Are you feeling better now? You still look pale."

"It's okay." Bella told her. "Carlisle gave me some Tylenol. I've been sleeping most of the day."

Alice sighed. "I'm so sorry. This is all my—," The rest of her words were swallowed by Bella's lips touching against hers in a tender kiss.

"I'm good, okay? Please, stop apologizing all the time."

"Okay." Alice croaked. "I just thought you were angry at me. This morning you were so…quiet somehow."

"That was just because I felt like crap. It has nothing to do with you. Don't think that."

Bella kissed Alice's mouth and caressed the smaller girl's velvety lips with the tip of her tongue. With a soft moan she pulled back a few moments later.

"Carlisle and Mom should be back soon from Eddie's piano lesson. Kid is getting good at playing. I never had enough patience to learn it."

"Hmm," Alice murmured, leaning down to pull the tiny plastic box out of her bag. "Tyler asked me to the dance again."

"How annoying, maybe you should tell him you're gay too? Then he'd probably leave you alone."

"I wished I could just go there with you."

"Don't say that. I'm the worst dancer in the whole world." Bella said, sitting up straight. "I'm not exactly what they call graceful."

"Pretty Swan, I could show you how to dance, if you want me to." Alice chuckled. She was just about to lean over to Bella for another kiss when they heard the key turn in the lock.

"We're home!" Eddie called, rushing into the living room. "We brought Chinese with us. Alice, do you like Chinese food?"

"Sure, little lion. How was your day?" she asked the boy, stuffing the box inside the pocket of her jeans without attracting attention to it.

"I learned where the babies come from. Do you want to know? It's a secret."

Renee walked in and cleared her throat. "Isabella, do you feel well enough to eat?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm actually starving."

"That's a good sign. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Mommy, is Bella sick?"

"A bit, sweetie, but she's better now." Renee assured him before she walked off to the kitchen to get some plates and glasses. Her Isabella was still acting so strangely. Why didn't she want to bring her new girlfriend over for her to meet the girl?

"Bella, do you want to know where the babies come from?" Eddie asked his sister, jumping up on the couch so quickly that it squeaked underneath him.

"Yes, sure, tell us what you know." Bella said, trying to keep herself from laughing.

"Well, all the babies they sit in the clouds and look down on earth to choose the parents and then they slide down on a rainbow and then the Mommy gets pregnant."

"Who told you that?" Alice asked, suppressing a giggle.

"Jake. He knows it because his cousin is having a baby. See, now you know it too!" he said before he rushed off to the kitchen.

"Kids are cute. Everything is so easy for them." Bella whispered.

"Maybe it is. Do you want to have kids one day? I mean when you're older?" Alice asked Bella when they followed Eddie into the kitchen.

"Not so sure about that yet. Do you?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. Yes, she did want to have kids but what if they turned out like her? She didn't want her kid to suffer because it was different from other children.

Later that night when she and Bella were getting ready for bed, Alice eventually brought up the courage to give the pendant to Bella.

"Wow, that's beautiful. Alice, you shouldn't have spent so much money on me. It's not necessary."

"I wanted you to have something from me, something that you can wear every day." Alice said, her cheeks turning into a bright red. She closed the necklace around Bella's neck and kissed the girl's throat. "I love you."

"I love you." Bella whispered. "I will never take this off again. It's so lovely."

Alice cuddled against Bella from behind and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I'm happy if you like it."

Slowly she started caressing Bella's neck before her fingers moved lower to finally rest idly on Bella's bare abdomen.

"I don't like you being in pain because of me."

"Stop talking about it. I'm feeling fine now. Really, there is no need to worry anymore. I have cramps all the time when I get my period. And all the hormones in those pills, that's probably just a bit much for my poor uterus."

Bella turned around and cupped Alice's face in her hand. "I've heard that sex is really good against cramps. Did you know that?"

"I don't think so," Alice mumbled when Bella's finger moved down to circle playfully over the fabric of her shirt. She moaned when her nipples instantly reacted to the attention. Hot tingles spread through her and she could feel herself getting hard as Bella rubbed her body close against hers.

"Bella," she moaned. "Maybe we should wait a few more days."

"Don't you want me?" Bella whispered, cupping Alice's length through her pajama pants.

"Of course I want you. God, I want you always. I just don't know if it's good for you if we do it now."

"Stop worrying. There is no need for that. I want to feel you."

Bella pulled Alice on her lap and guided the girl's hands under her shirt. "Touch me. Yes, like this…so good."

"Quiet, honey, we need to be quiet."

"Qui-et," Bella groaned softly, lifting her shirt over her head. "How can I be quiet when you make me feel so good?"

Alice tugged gently on the sensitive nipples before she took one of the rosy peaks between her lips to suck on it. Bella moaned and pressed her hand against her lips to keep herself halfway silent.

"The condoms…we need to remember using one this time." Alice said, pulling back to grab the box from under their bed. She placed one of the foil-wrapped condoms on the nightstand before they tossed down the rest of their clothes.

"I want you on top of me. Do you think we can try that?" Alice moaned into Bella's ear.

"Yes," Bella whispered. "That sounds good. Do you know how to put on a condom?"

"Hmm," Alice murmured, ripping the package open. The truth was that she had never dared to buy condoms for herself before. Firstly because she was shy and secondly because she had never expected that anyone could want to sleep with her. She tried to remember the embarrassing lecture in school when they had to pull some condoms over a few bananas. She pinched the tip and sighed in relief when she managed to roll the goddamn thing down her entire length.

Bella whimpered when she slowly lowered herself on Alice's hard penis. She was still so tight and tender but unlike the first time, it didn't hurt. Still she could feel herself stretching around Alice, inch by inch.

"You're tight." Alice moaned. "So fucking…tight. I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, it's good. You feel good to me. Kiss me…oh Alice, please, kiss me."

The touch of Alice's lips against hers suppressed Bella's groans. She could feel every cell in her body vibrating with the beginning of her release. Alice's hand moved between their joined bodies to circle her fingertips over Bella's swollen clit. Her own body trembled. Alice knew she was close too. The moment she felt Bella tighten even more around her, she couldn't hold back anymore. Her climax was strong, leaving her breathless for several moments.

"Love you," Bella told her. "I love you so much."

"I love you," Alice whispered, planting a kiss on Bella's mouth. "I'm so glad that I've found you."


	23. Chapter 23

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back to another update. It makes me happy that so many of you like my story here. Thanks for all your amazing support.

****23****

"It must be difficult having two teenage girls under one roof." Rosalie stated while she poured a bit more of red wine into Renee's glass.

She and Emmett had invited the Cullen's over for dinner. Carlisle had to cover his shift in the hospital but the rest of them were enjoying the delicious salmon Rosalie was serving them. The food had been ordered from a restaurant but nobody had to know about that. Rosalie Hale wasn't the housewifey type of woman.

"They're both very mature for their age." Renee said, lifting the glass to her mouth. "I think my husband and I are very lucky in that department. Let's see how things will be like when Eddie gets older."

The boy looked up from his plate where he had mashed some carrots under the potatoes. Carrots were so yucky and they looked like the color of his hair.

"Boys are great. I hope our first child will be a boy." Emmett said, placing his hand on his fiancée's hand. The expensive looking engagement ring sparkled on her ring finger.

"First? You mean like you want to have more than one child?"

"Of course, I do. Why are you sounding so surprised now?"

"How am I supposed to work if I have a bunch of toddlers hanging on me?"

She pushed his hand away and stood up from her chair.

"Babe,"

"Don't you Babe me now, McCarty. We'll talk about this later."

"Yes, Ma'am." he said, slapping his hand against her backside. "Hey, Eddie, do you want to see my turtles?"

"Can I hold them?" Eddie asked, pushing the carrots to the other side of his plate.

"I don't think they'd like that. But you can help me feed them."

When Emmett and the boy were out of sight, Rosalie sighed deeply.

"He's so good with kids, much better than me."

"I'm sure you'll be a good Mom," Alice said quickly, while she squeezed Bella's hand under the table. Maybe the two of them should have come up with an excuse to stay home. It would have been an opportunity to alone time.

The constant hiding of their feelings was getting worse with every day that was passing by. In the morning, Carlisle had almost caught Alice kissing Bella's neck when he had entered their bedroom unexpectedly.

"Honey, there is not just one way to be a mother." Renee told Rosalie while she helped her to stacking the empty plates. "You and your fiancé just have to find out what works for you."

"Thanks, Renee. All this baby talking is stressing me out. I know how Emmett is like. He's going to play with the child and all the diaper changing and other awful stuff will end up on me."

She sat down again and played with her engagement ring.

"That's a pretty ring." Bella said, closing her hand around the heart-shaped pendant on her neck. She wanted to give something pretty to Alice too. As soon as she would figure out how to safe up enough money she'd do it.

"It's from Tiffany's. I always wanted an engagement ring from there."

A smile flashed over the blonde woman's face. "I like your necklace too. It's cute. Is that from your boyfriend?"

"N-o," Bella croaked. "From my girlfriend."

"You're a lesbian? For real? You don't look it."

"There is nothing wrong with that, you know." Alice said, trying to keep her voice low. "Bella can be with who she wants to be."

"Oh Alice, you are so cute for defending your sister." Renee mumbled. She sipped on her wine, feeling warmth spreading into her cheeks. It was rare that she had alcohol. That stuff always made her feel a bit dizzy. Plus it made her talk too much.

"I bet her girlfriend is the guy in their relationship. Isn't she, Renee?"

"I can't tell you. Isabella is so shy about that girl. I'm trying to talk her into introducing me to her but she doesn't want that."

"Alice, Bella, come up here! You need to see the turtle! I want one too!" Eddie called from upstairs and Alice pulled Bella with her.

Renee stretched her arms above her head and giggled. "At least a turtle makes less work than a dog."

"Look, Renee, I'm actually glad you came here without your husband. I'd like to talk to you about my client, Esme Platt." Rosalie told her, filling Renee's glass again.

"What about her?"

"You seem like a very reasonable woman to me. Esme isn't going to take the boy away from you. Her chances in court would be pretty shitty even if I manage to convince the judge that she was threatened to sign the adoption papers."

"I'm sorry." Renee whispered. "I feel bad for Miss Platt. What happened to her is horrible."

"It is. A lot of women don't manage to break free from abusive relationships. I can see that every day at work."

"That's sad. But Eddie is _my _son. I don't want to lose him."

"We're just talking about some meetings. It would mean so much to Esme."

"She can't tell the boy who she really is."

"Does that mean you're saying yes? Fantastic!" Rosalie said, clicking her glass against Renee's. "I'll her and then we'll arrange a meeting. Thank you, Renee. You're an angel."

xxxx

Alice rubbed some lotion into the skin on her legs while she watched Bella towel drying her long tresses. Pretty, she thought, feeling an instant tightening in her lower abdomen. She could watch Bella forever.

"Is everything okay? You seem like you have something on your mind."

"I'm not the guy in our relationship, am I?" Alice asked worriedly, sitting down on her bed. She hadn't slept here in days. It was much better to cuddle against her beloved Bella while she was dreaming.

"You're way more girlie than me. Why are you asking about this anyway? Is it because Rosalie made that stupid comment?"

"It's because of this." Alice stated, guiding Bell's hand to her penis. She loved it when Bella touched her here. She loved the heat of the other girl's mouth around it or the tightness of her pussy clamping all over her length.

"I don't understand."

"You're always focusing on my…well, manly parts when we're making love. And then tonight when Rosalie said that with your girlfriend being the guy in the relationship. It made me worry a little bit."

"There is no need for that." Bella murmured, pulling Alice gently over to her own bed. Then she walked to the door and turned the key around.

Bella turned the radio on and searched through the different channels until she found one that was playing some classical music.

"You know I love you, right?" she whispered pulling the shirt over her head. "I love all of you."

Sweet little moans left Alice's mouth when Bella started to massage her breasts through the cotton fabric of her sleep shirt. A few moments later she tossed it to the ground.

"You're so beautiful, Alice." Bella told her as she lowered her mouth to close it around one of the hard nipples. "I want to kiss you all over."

Alice felt herself getting hard and when Bella pulled down her underwear she expected her to put her penis into her mouth. She didn't do it. Instead her fingertips moved down to Alice's pussy, spreading her open.

"Let me taste you." she murmured before she gently swirled her tongue through the moistness. Bella didn't know if it would be possible to make Alice come like this, without touching the throbbing dick of hers. She loved having Alice inside her. The connection she felt with the girl she had fallen so hard for. Still, she wanted Alice to know that she loved her as a woman and that she didn't see her as a man.

Slowly she pushed one finger inside of Alice while she imagined how it would be like to take her here with something thicker, a toy maybe or something else.

The thought soaked her own underwear but Bella wanted this to be about Alice and not herself. She rubbed the sensitive flesh of Alice's inner lips and massaged it. Her tongue licked up and down, avoiding swirling against the hard length at the top of Alice's entrance.

"Bella, please….oh…god…," Alice groaned, pressing her hand against her lips to suppress her sounds. Bella inserted a second finger into Alice's wet sex and curled her fingers up. After a couple of minutes, she could feel the tight insides, clenching around her fingers. Seconds later warm wetness trickled over Alice's bare stomach. She had never managed to make herself come like this. The pleasure was surprisingly intense.

"I love you, Bella." Alice whispered, wiping the aftermath of her climax from her skin. "I want us to be together forever."

"Same here," Bella said. "I can't imagine being with anyone else than you."

She pulled Alice close against her bare chest and it didn't take long for them to fall fast asleep.

xxxx

The next morning Alice helped Renee to prepare some pancakes for breakfast while Bella was upstairs taking a shower. Alice had loved to join her girlfriend but that would have made Renee suspicious. How long would she and Bella be able to keep their love a secret?

"Alice, can you hand me the butter? Thanks, sweetie,"

"You need to turn down the heat or it's going to burn."

"Oh right, I tend to forget about that. Isabella is a way better cook than me. She got that from her father."

"How's he like?"

"Charlie? He's a quiet guy who prefers to sit around somewhere in the wilderness and go fishing. I hated that. Neither me nor my daughter are very outdoorsy."

"The camping trip we made with our class was fun."

"That's good. I want you to like living here. Your father was worried you wouldn't get along with the people in your class." Renee said. She cleared her throat before she continued in a lower voice. "You and Isabella get along quite good, don't you?"

"Yes,"

"Do you know her girlfriend?"

Alice nodded her head and turned over to the table to put the plates and cups on it. She wasn't a particularly good liar when it came to things outside of her own secret.

"Is she treating her good? I'm starting to worry a bit about that."

"Her girlfriend loves her very much. You don't need to be concerned about this."

The burning scent of pancakes brought Alice's attention to the pan on the stove. "Maybe I should try to handle this here. We've run out of cereals for breakfast."

"Thanks, Alice. I will look after Eddie now. He should be up by now. The boy is turning into such a sleepy head."

Minutes later Bella rushed down the stairs and wrapped her arms around Alice's waist.

"I'm starving. Can I get a kiss from you?"

Alice giggled and turned around to press her lips softly against Bella's.

"Kissies are yucky!"

Both of them jumped apart. Bella's face turned red with embarrassment.

"Hey, little lion." Alice greeted him, kneeling down on the kitchen floor. "That was nothing. Bella and I were just playing house."

"That's a stupid game. I hate playing that with Jake. He makes me be the mommy."

Bella sat down on of the kitchen chairs and petted the place next hers. "Come, sit with me, Eddie. Alice is going to play the mommy today. She made us pancakes."

"Can I have juice with them?"

"You're supposed to drink milk. Mom bought that soy stuff for you again." Bella told him.

"Alice, please…I want juice. We have apple juice."

"Stop whining and listen to Bella. She knows what's good for you."

Renee entered the kitchen and pulled a sweater over Eddie's head. "It's going to be cold outside today. You'll stay inside when it's raining, will you?"

"Yes, Mommy,"

"Good, sweetie. Oh Alice, these pancakes look so delicious. I need to eat some of them before I leave."

She put one on her plate and poured a bit of maple syrup over it. Life was good, she thought. It made her happy that her stepdaughter seemed to be opening up more. Alice was such a dear girl. Why was Carlisle so worried about her all the time?


	24. Chapter 24

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back, my Darlings. Thanks for your interest in my story here. I feel so blessed to know you by my side for this ride.

****24****

Carlisle Cullen had never been the jealous type of man. It was an unpleasant feeling that he detested more than anything. He was sitting in the left corner of the hospital cafeteria, sipping on an already cold black coffee. When she laughed he turned his head in the right direction. Esme was so beautiful when she laughed. It made the dimples in her cheeks a bit more preeminent.

With a sigh he lifted the file he was pretending to read a bit higher. He shouldn't care about this. It shouldn't matter to him at all. But the truth was that he felt an unpleasant tightening in his chest while he watched the hospital's very own womanizer Dr. Alistair drool over the delicate Dr. Platt. How could she let that sleaze ball talk to her at all?

Carlisle's inner rambling was interrupted by the buzzing of his cell in his lab coat. He took a last sip from his drink and walked out to the hall to answer the call.

"Cullen,

"Carlisle, it's me, Irina. I'm not disturbing you right now, am I?"

"No, it's fine. I'm on my lunch break. Is there a specific reason why you're calling?"

"I'm worried about Alice. She's doing okay there with you, isn't she?"

"Yes. Everything is going smoothly. You don't have to worry about her all the time. I promised to take care of her and I will."

"You've not told your wife about Alice's little…secret, have you? She's so scared about people finding out about it."

"Alice feels that way because you've done nothing to improve her self-esteem. The girl needs to learn to accept herself the way nature has created her."

"Oh Carlisle, you really don't get it. I want a normal life for our daughter. Who's going to marry her the way she is now—some kind of pervert?"

"Irina, drop it. We're not going to have this discussion again. Is there anything more you need from me?"

"Yes, I want to know why Alice is using her credit card to buy jewelry stuff. She knows the card is only for emergencies."

"I talk about it with her. Goodbye, Irina."

He hung up and cursed through his teeth. His ex-wife wasn't his favorite person on earth to talk to. Irina had never gotten over the fact that their child had been born as a hermaphrodite. She had talked him into getting a vasectomy after Alice's birth to prevent them from having more kids like her. Carlisle was regretting that irreversible step with all of his heart.

"Bad news?" Esme's light voice asked behind him. They had put a walking cast on her leg and it made her feel like a cripple when she stumbled through the hospital with it.

"Not exactly," Carlisle muttered. "How's your leg?"

"If they had cut it off, I'd already be running marathons with my titan artificial limp, but instead I'm being forced to walk around with this uncomfortable piece of crap around my thigh."

"You need to have a bit more patience."

"That's not my strong point. I'll be so terribly behind in my studies. They won't allow me to perform any surgeries as long as my leg isn't healed fully."

"You'll find other ways to distract yourself."

"What do you mean with that?" Esme asked him when they entered the elevator. She had decided to work on some lab project as long as she wasn't allowed to her usual work routine.

Carlisle followed her inside the lab and leaned back against the wall.

"You shouldn't spend time with Dr. Alistair. It might not give people a good impression."

"He and I are just friends. I like being around him."

She opened the first cage and lifted the white mouse out. "Let's see how your heart is doing, little man. Shall we?"

"You'd be a good vet."

"I'd rather be a good doctor for humans. Why are you concerned about my friendship with Dr. Alistair?"

"Friendship is hardly on that man's mind. I saw the way he's looking at you."

"You sound like a jealous boyfriend now. Whatever is between me and him, is sure as hell not your business, Carlisle."

"I know. I'm just worried about your reputation. It never looks good when an Intern hooks up with one of the older doctors."

He leaned a bit closer to her and placed his hand on her cheek. This is wrong, he hissed at himself in his head. Why couldn't he let go of this woman. He was married for crying out loud.

"We should stay away from each other." Esme whispered, feeling her heartbeat speeding up in her chest. Her crush on Dr. Cullen was pointless. It made her seem like some immature school girl.

"You deserve better than this." He mumbled before he lightly pressed his lips against hers. For a moment heat spread throughout Esme's body. Carlisle was a good kisser. He knew how to make her body vibrate like some exotic instrument. It had been so long since anyone had kissed her. Then suddenly red hot anger spread through Esme. How could she let a married man kiss her? Was he trying to make her his whore?

"Get your hands off me," she growled and lifted her hand to slap him across his face. "Don't ever touch me again. I'm not some kind of whore that you can screw if you need some distraction from your wife."

"Esme, it's not like that." He croaked, rubbing his jaw. "I really like you."

"Leave me alone. Unless you decide to leave your wife for me, I don't wish for you to talk to me again unless it's work related."

She stumbled out of the room and managed to make her way to one of the supply rooms. There she locked herself in and cried until her body had no more tears left to shed.

xxxx

Alice was sitting in the living room, zapping through some shopping channels when her father came home. Carlisle's mood was beyond crappy. The kiss with Esme had stirred up too many feelings he had desperately tried to suppress. He wanted her. The question was if he wanted her enough to fuck up his second marriage. He couldn't let that happen. Feelings could change. All he had to do was keep his distance to Esme as much as possible.

"Hey Dad," Alice greeted him. "You're home early."

"I have some files to work through and I can do that from home. Where are the others?"

"Bella is grocery shopping with Renee and Eddie."

"I see. What are you watching there?"

"Nothing," Alice muttered, turning off the TV.

"Your mother called me. She was a bit mad because you used the credit card she gave you to buy some jewelry."

Alice sighed and cleared her throat. "It was just once. I really needed that pendant."

"If you need money for anything, you can ask me. I'll give it to you."

"Yes, Dad,"

"You're doing good here, aren't you? I'm sorry I don't get to spend a lot of time with you."

"It's okay. I don't mind. Bella is taking good care of me. She makes me feel very at home."

"The two of you get along fine. That's fantastic. When you were kids, you never seemed to like her."

She grabbed the bowl with popcorn from the table and started nibbling on it.

"Dad, I really like Bella."

"I know, sweetie. It's great if you get along with your sister."

The front door opened with a squeak and Eddie rushed in, jumping straight into Alice's lap.

"We bought soya ice-cream. Mom says we can have that for dessert after dinner today."

Bella laughed and carried one of the paper bags into the kitchen. "Hey Carlisle, why are you home so early? Is something wrong?"

"What is wrong?" Renee asked placing the rest of the shopping on the kitchen table. "Carlisle, darling, are you well?"

"Yes, sure, why not? God, damn it, can a man never come home early and not being questioned about it instantly?"

"Daddy, are you angry?"

He inhaled sharply through his front teeth and kneeled down in front of his little son. Eddie had exactly the same shade of green eyes like Esme. It made him instantly feel guilty.

"No, I'm not angry. Just a bit tired. Maybe I should lie down a bit before we're eating."

Carlisle kissed his son's forehead and walked up the stairs. He had already lost his family once. There was no way he could allow for that to happen a second time around.

"Mommy, can I help you cooking? Eddie asked, climbing on one of the kitchen chairs. "I want to help!"

"Isabella, can you help him help? I don't want the boy to cut himself with a knife."

"I don't want her to help me! I can do that alone. Bella, tell Mom I can do that on my own."

"Just be careful, okay?" she said, placing a knife in his hands. "You'll cut this cucumber into slices. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Bella," he said. "Are you and Alice going to play house again later?"

"Yours sisters are a bit too old for playing house, Eddie."

"But Mom, they just did it the other day. Alice was the Mommy and Bella kissed her and then—,"

"Eddie, shut up!" Bella pressed out, feeling every drop of blood leave her face. She barely managed to drop down on a chair that Alice pulled out for her.

"Why are you yelling at me?"

"Eddie, I want you to go to your room. I need to talk to your sisters." Renee stated, trying to keep her voice calm. They were kissing? What in heaven's name was that supposed to mean. Hadn't Isabella told her about that girlfriend she was seeing?

When the little one disappeared on the stairs, Renee turned to her chalk-white daughter.

"What is going on between the two of you? The truth, not what you think I'd like to hear now."

"Mom, it's not like you think it is. Eddie, he…didn't…we…didn't know he was going to catch us."

"Renee, please don't be mad at Bella." Alice whispered, placing her hand on Bella's shoulder. Sure, her stepmother would want to kick her out of the house wouldn't she?

"I'm not mad. I just want to understand. You're kissing each other? Why? Isabella has a girlfriend."

"Well, Mom," Bella started hesitantly. "That girlfriend is Alice."

"You're dating your sister? God, this is so wrong. You're family."

"We're just steps. She and I are not related. We didn't grow up together." Bella could feel the tears beginning to burn in her eyes with every word she spoke. Her mother seemed so angry.

"Renee, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have lied to you, but we knew you wouldn't understand it."

"I can't stomach this. Isabella, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Please, don't be mad at her. It's my fault."

"Alice, you don't have to take this on you. We're in this together." Bella whispered, taking Alice's hand in hers to hold it.

"Yes, we are." Alice whispered barely audible. If Renee would throw her out, would Bella come with her? It was still two weeks until she would finally turn eighteen and even than she had no money to rent her own place. Crap, what in heaven's name were they supposed to do?

"Please, stop crying, Isabella. God, I don't know what to say, girls. I think I need a drink. Does your father know about this yet?"

"No, he doesn't. Are you going to tell him?" Alice asked Renee, while her grip around Bella's fingers tightened even more. There was no way she would let anything part them. She loved Bella with all of her heart.

"You should tell Carlisle." Renee mumbled, pouring herself a glass of wine. "It's probably better when he hears it from you."


	25. Chapter 25

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome back, my lovelies! I want to thank you for leaving so many reviews on the last chapter. It's your love for my story here that keeps me motivated. Thanks for being with me for this journey.

****25****

Renee sighed and rubbed her icy fingers against each other. She was tired and the fact that Isabella refused to talk to her made her feel very uncomfortable. "I've forgotten how cold it is here." she said in a faked cheerful voice. "I should have brought gloves and a scarf. Did you remember to pack some warm clothes, Isabella?"

Bella frowned. She put her earplugs in and turned the music as loud as possible. Just like on the entire flight down Port Angeles she did her best to ignore her mother. If she would start something even close to a conversation with Renee, she would snap and tell her to shut the fuck up. Shipping her off to her father in order to get her and Alice away from each other was so mean. It was cruel and heartless.

Nothing would ever come between them. The two of them had promised the other one that no one would be able to destroy their love.

"Isabella, put these things out and listen to me." Renee snarled, shaking Bella's arm. "You can't just ignore me when you're angry. Damn it, you're exactly like Charlie."

"Well, then it's good you're sending me to live in fucking Forks with him to have me out of the way. Why are you punishing me for falling in love?"

"It's not like that." Renee replied. "Your stepfather and I just thought it would be best if you and Alice get some time away from each other to rethink everything. Maybe you're just confusing the love for siblings with some romantic feelings."

"I know the difference. I love her. She loves me. I don't get why you and Carlisle are so mad at us. We're not real siblings, you know? It's not forbidden for us to be together."

"We know that. Still, we don't think you should rush into anything. Carlisle thinks that Alice is…well, he's so terribly worried about her all the time. I don't really get why. Did you know that her mother wanted to send her into therapy before she came to live with us? There is something wrong with that girl. She has some mental problems."

"Alice was bullied in her old school. I know about that. I know about it because she trusts me. I'm not going to hurt her." Bella stated, emphasizing every word. "She and I, we are good for each other."

"Oh dear child, you know nothing about love. It's complicated. Have you ever thought about what is going to happen when things between Alice and you end badly? You'll still be stepsisters when you break up. This is going to effect the entire family."

"I will never break up with Alice. Oh thank god, we're finally there. Looks like Dad is home. The cruiser is here."

Renee parked the rental car and stepped outside. The cold air made her instantly shiver. Yet when she looked over to her ex-husband's police car a smile hushed over her face. She had some very livid memories of that car. Well, actually more about the things that had happened on the backseat…

"Bells! Good to see you kiddo. I never get to see you often enough." Charlie called out when he walked down the stairs.

Bella hugged her father and kissed his cheeks. "Hey Cha- Dad. I was going to come here for two weeks in summer anyway. Well, whatever you call summer here in Forks."

He lifted Bella's suitcase out and finally turned his attention to his former wife. She looked pretty. Too thin and a bit too tanned perhaps but still utterly, perfectly gorgeous. "You're looking stressed, Renee. This yoga crap isn't actually helping you to relax. I've always told you that's something for weirdos who live in tree houses."

They went inside and Bella instantly rushed up the stairs to slam the door of her room behind her. She pulled out her cell and dialed Alice's number. After the first two rings she picked up and whispered with a tear-choked voice.

"Hey, Bella."

"Shit, baby, are you crying? Please don't. Everything is going to be okay. Carlisle and Renee will calm down."

"I'm not crying." Alice sniffed into the receiver. "My nose is just blocked. Maybe I'm getting a cold."

Bella leaned back on her bed and sighed. "I miss you so much. Is Carlisle okay to you? He was pretty angry when we told him we're a couple."

"Dad is pissed. He would probably like to send me back to my mom but he can't because she's still in Europe."

"I'm sorry he's giving you a hard time. Renee says it's because he's worried how things between us could end."

"You mean if you break up with me? Dad gave me a long speech on that before he left for his shift in the hospital."

"I love you. You and I are meant to be together. You can never forget that, okay?"

"I love you too. Only two weeks until I turn eighteen and can move out. We can make it through two weeks, can we?"

"Of course, we can. Please, don't let our parents manage to get us apart. You're the only one I'm ever going to love."

"Oh, Bella."

"Shhh, don't cry. It breaks my heart if you cry."

Bella wiped some tears from her own cheeks when she disconnected the call. She missed Alice so terribly and it was just the first day apart. How could their parents be so cruel to them?

Downstairs Renee was taking big gulps from a can of beer Charlie had opened for her. It had been years since she had any of that. The taste was way better than she remembered it.

"Did you catch them together?" Charlie asked, crunching the empty can he had just finished between his hands. "I mean like in bed?"

"Hell! No! But Carlisle still almost fainted when I made the girls tell him everything. The thought that they're together worries him so much. I don't even get it."

"Are you sure that Bella is gay?"

"Yes, I think so. She told me she's a lesbian."

"And she likes this girl, the doctor's girl, I mean?"

"They're seventeen. They don't know what love is."

He smirked and opened another can of beer. "I was seventeen when I met you and I always knew what I want."

"Charlie, not this old story again. You and I were so wrong. We barely managed to make it through the first year of our marriage."

She sipped on her beer and thought about the awful fights between her and Charlie during that time. How she had yelled at him while he just stood there and did nothing. Crap, Isabella was really coming after her father.

"I was a crappy husband back then. But I was young and didn't know better. Today I would—well, it doesn't matter anymore. How long are you planning on letting the kiddo stay here?"

"For the rest of the school year if that's okay with you," Renee told him before she emptied her beer. A very pleasant warmth filled her stomach.

"With me that's fine. I like having Bella here. But she doesn't want to be here. Just like you, she hates it here in Forks, even without the whole drama with her stepsister."

"I don't hate it here. I just don't like the cold."

"You never asked me to keep you warm." he mumbled, carrying the empty cans to the trash. "Doesn't matter anymore, I know. When are you flying back to Florida?"

"On Sunday, it was the cheapest flight I could get. I should probably start looking for a hotel room now. Does Amy Lee still own this bed and breakfast place across the Thriftway?"

"That's a brothel now. Why don't you just stay here? I'll sleep on the couch and you can have our—I mean my bedroom."

Renee giggled and leaned over to plant a kiss on Charlie's cheek. "Thank you. I wouldn't know what to do without your help."

"Yeah, it's ok. I don't mind." he told her quickly while he felt his cheeks warming with heat. "I'm glad I get to spend some time with Bella."

And glad to get spending some time with you, he added silently in his head. It was ridiculous how he had never managed to truly get over his ex-wife. No one finds the love of his life at seventeen. That's just so…ridiculously sentimental somehow.

"There's some stuff for salad in the fridge. We can eat that with the steaks I bought. You remember I cook a mean steak, do you?"

"Meat! Finally, I'm dying to get some meat. Can I have mine raw? Back home I'm always getting to eat this tofu based food. I can't make it taste good no matter how much spices I put on them."

"Cooking has never been your strong point. Why are you eating Tofu? Does your doctor think it's healthy?"

"It's because of Eddie. The boy has decided he doesn't want to eat anything from animals."

"He's what, five or something? A child that age needs some protein to grow. Doesn't your smart-ass of a husband know about this?"

"What are we supposed to do? He cries if I want to make him drink milk!"

"And let me guess, you can't handle that. The kid is a bit weird. I've told you it's risky to adopt a child. You never know who the parents are. They could be complete lunatics."

Renee opened the fridge and pulled out the ingredients for the salad. "At least we know where Isabella is from. She reminds me of you every single day, the same pighead as yours."

He laughed at that comment. "I can talk to her if you want me to. Maybe it'll help."

A few moments later, Charlie knocked on the door to Bella's room. He noticed that she had been crying and that made him feel awkward.

"How's it going, kiddo?"

"Great, just great, thanks for asking. Mom is trying to ruin my life. She doesn't get that I love Alice."

Charlie sat down on the edge of Bella's bed. "Your mother is just worried. She always worries too much."

Bella hugged her pillow and sighed. "It's not fair."

"What is not fair? You lied to your mother about your relationship with this Alice chick."

"We were afraid that our parents wouldn't want us to be together and voila-now we see where this has brought us. God, Dad, I miss her so much. I love her."

"Do you have a picture? I only remember that skinny kid with those too huge eyes."

She pulled her purse out and showed him the picture Jessica had taken of the two of them in the school cafeteria. Her arm was wrapped around the smaller girl's shoulders. Bella sighed and caressed the paper gently with her fingertips.

"She's pretty, a bit girly perhaps." he stated. "Are you sure that you're that way? I mean into other girls."

"The word is gay, Dad and the answer is yes, I am sure, also about Alice. This is not just some stupid teenage crush. We love each other and want to be together forever."

Charlie nodded his head. He placed his hand on Bella's and gave it a light tug. "If you really love her you need to fight for her. Love is always worth fighting for. I wish—well, it doesn't anymore. No one can turn back time, that's impossible. You should start unpacking. We can eat in half an hour and then I need to head to the station to go through some paper work."

With that he walked out, leaving Bella alone with her thoughts. Her fingers closed around the pendant around her neck. We can make this, Alice. I know, we can.


	26. Chapter 26

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for being such incredibly supportive readers. I appreciate having you by my side.

****26****

Alice was still incredibly tired when her alarm woke her up in the morning. With a sigh she pressed her face against Bella's pillow, trying to absorb the faint scent of strawberry shampoo as deeply as possible. She had cried herself to sleep last night. The awful conversation with her father had tugged painfully on her heart. Only two more weeks and then I'll be off here, she thought bitterly.

A knock on the door made her sit up straight in the bed. Carlisle walked in, fisting his hands nervously through his damp hair.

"You're up. That's good. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really."

"So, have I." he whispered. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was too harsh on you."

"You and Renee sent Bella away. How could you do this to us? That was heartless."

"Alice, can't you see that I'm trying to protect you? What do you think would happen, if your stepsister finds out about your….ahm little secret?"

Alice pressed her lips together. She felt very tempted to shove it into Carlisle's face, that Bella didn't have a problem with her secret whatsoever. No one in her life had ever been so easily accepting about her. Bella truly loved her.

"Alice?"

"Maybe it wouldn't matter to her." she mumbled. "Is there anything more you need from me? I need to shower before I go to school."

"Okay, but we'll talk about it again when you come back home. Can you drop off your brother at his kindergarten for me?"

Half an hour later when Alice turned off the engine of the car, the unpleasant tightness in her chest still wasn't gone.

"When are Mommy and Bella coming back?" Eddie asked her from the backseat.

Alice sighed. She could feel her eyes starting to fill with tears again. Don't cry in front of the little one, she tried to compose herself.

"Renee comes back on Sunday." she whispered, unclasping his seatbelt. He jumped from his seat, grabbing his little backpack.

"And Bella?"

"I don't know."

"Why?

"Eddie, you need to go inside now. I don't want to be late for school."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. Usually he whined and protested when you kissed him, but this time he remained perfectly still.

"Will you pick me up again?"

"Dad is picking you up. Be a good boy and don't fight with anyone, okay?"

Meanwhile Carlisle had arrived at the hospital. His bad conscious was nagging on him. Alice was too much like Irina, she didn't take it well when someone was getting a bit hard on her. What the hell had she been thinking, starting a relationship with her stepsister?

Stepping inside the elevator, he cringed when he saw Esme's delicate frame standing in its corner.

"Morning," he mumbled, not really looking at her. He needed to avoid looking at this woman. It only made him want her more.

"Good Morning," she whispered. "You're here early for your shift."

"I need to finish some paperwork." Carlisle told her, pressing the key to the sixth floor. Then he cleared his throat and sighed deeply. "I want to apologize for the kiss. That was completely inappropriate."

Esme nodded her head. Her heart cramped painfully in her chest. Inappropriate? That was all he had to say about that kiss? Oh, how much she wanted it to mean something to him. She knew it was wrong to crush on a married man. It was stupid on too many levels, but she still couldn't stop it. Every night she would toss around in her bed, imagining his face above hers while he kissed her softly and made love to her. God, she was so pathetic.

"Esme?"

"It didn't mean anything. Have you told your wife about it?"

"No," he croaked. "Should I?"

"It's kind of weird that you're asking me for advice on this. I'd rather not have her know about it. She most likely would take back her offer to let me see my boy."

They stepped outside the elevator and Carlisle barely managed to keep her from tumbling over some box on the ground. "Be careful. We don't want you to break another limp."

"Thanks," she whispered. "Do you think we could set up a meeting on Saturday? I really want to see Eddie."

"My wife is in Washington until Sunday."

"I see. But maybe you could handle this. I know Saturday is your day off."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you know so much about my shifts? Are you stalking me?"

"You're an idiot. I still don't know how you managed to make it through med school. Your parents probably paid for your diploma."

Carlisle chuckled. "They have, but not in the way you think they did. You have a scholarship, right?"

"I do. My parents wouldn't invest a single dime into my education. They still hate me for divorcing my husband."

"They should be glad you left this man. He didn't treat you the way, you deserve it."

Esme's mouth twitched. The memory of Charles was hovering above her like a dark ghost. Yesterday, she had almost dropped a pile with soup cans down in the supermarket because she thought she had seen him standing behind it. That was impossible though wasn't it? Charles had no clue where she was living now. Her lawyer had helped her to cover her tracks.

xxxx

Bella's mood was getting worse with every second she spent with her parents in the principal's office. Forks High was a small place. They didn't even offer several of the courses she had been taking back home. Staying here would throw her back so much in her education.

"Renee, you should take her back with you to Florida." Charlie stated when they walked outside again. "It would be better for the girl."

"I can't take her home with me. Carlisle wants us to keep the girls apart."

"Your husband is pretty dumb for someone who's been to university for such a long time. Keep them apart? They're not twelve. Bella will be eighteen in September. You need to start letting her make her own decisions."

"I don't need any advice from you on how to raise my daughter, Mr. Swan. You haven't been around the last fourteen years."

"I haven't been around because you wanted it that way, Mrs. Cullen. Now, if you could get into the car. I need to be at the station in twenty minutes."

"You should have married the stupid police station. It always came first."

"Mom! Dad! Stop with this fighting. It's getting on my nerves." Bella told them, fumbling with her seat belt. "I don't want to stay in Forks. Alice and I can get a place of our own if you don't want us under your roof."

"Isabella, it's not like that. I love you. Carlisle and I are just trying to protect the two of you."

"Maybe they don't need to be protected." Charlie said, starting the engine of the cruiser. "Bella if you need money to rent a place, I'll give it to you."

"Charlie! You can't do this!"

"Oh Renee, you have no idea what I can or can't do. You're underestimating me. You always have."

Back at Charlie's place Bella locked herself in her room and cried. She hated to see her parents argue with each other. It brought up some unpleasant memories of the time they got divorced. She remembered them yelling at each other while she was sitting on the stairs, hugging her doll.

A knock on her door made her jump from the bed. She wiped the tears from her face and opened the door.

"Sweetie, can we talk about this again? I only have your best interest in mind."

"My best interest or yours, Mom? I thought, you're okay with me liking girls."

"I am, of course I am, but this thing with Alice, I don't know what to think of it. Carlisle was close to having a heart attack when we told him."

"I love Alice. There is nothing the two of you can do to keep us apart. You're too old to remember how it's like to be in love, really in love."

Renee caressed Bella's hair and stepped back. "I'm going for a run now. I need to burn off a bit of this monster steak your father served us last night. Then I'm going to call your stepfather and try to talk about things with him again."

"Yes, Mom," Bella murmured, grabbing her pillow to hug it tightly. "I'll take a nap. I'm still tired from the flight, I guess."

When Renee was gone, Bella closed her eyes and it didn't take long until she managed to drift into a restless sleep. The sound of her cell vibrating on the nightstand woke her up again.

"Hey,"

"Hi Bella," Alice's voice greeted her. "You sound tired. Did I wake you up?"

"No," Bella lied, rubbing her eyes, "I'm glad you called. God, I miss you so much."

"I miss you too. It's like everything hurts inside me because you're not with me."

"Please, don't cry again. We can make this. How is Eddie?"

"He misses you. When I dropped him off at kindergarten he asked when you'd come back home."

"I hope soon. Charlie is trying to convince Mom to take me back to Florida with her. He even offered to pay for an apartment for me."

"Your Dad sounds nice. I'd like to meet him some time."

"I'm sure we can arrange that. How was your day?"

"School sucked, but at least this weirdo Mr. Evenson wasn't there today. He's sick with some stomach flu or something like that."

"I don't like that you're so intimidated by that moron. He's a jerk who gets off on humiliating high school kids. How low can someone be?"

"I don't know. Hey, is it very cold where you are now?"

"I'm freezing. I'm snuggled under my blanket, wearing two pair of socks."

"If I was with you now, I could try to warm you up."

Bella took a deep breath. There was something about the sound of Alice's voice when she had spoken the last words that made her inside tingle.

"How would you do that?"

"I could start with kissing that spot underneath your ear. I know you like it when I kiss you there."

"Yes, I do, very much to speak the truth. God, I wished you were with me now. I want to feel you on top of me. I want to feel you getting hard against the inside of my thigh"

"Fuck, Bella, you're making me hard if you say stuff like that." Alice whispered huskily into the receiver. Bella could hear some fumbling in the background. Then Alice sighed deeply.

"I want to touch you." Bella whispered. "I want to feel you moving inside me. Alice, I need you."

"I need you, honey. When I see you again, I want to kiss every inch of your body."

Wetness pooled between Bella's thighs and with a soft moan, she pulled down the zipper of her jeans and tugged them down a bit. Her hand moved gently over the fabric of her panties.

"What are you doing right now?" Alice asked her in a hoarse voice.

"Nothing,"

"You're breathing a bit too heavy for nothing. Are you touching yourself?"

"Maybe,"

"I wish I could see you now. Oh god, baby, thinking about you playing with yourself makes me so hard."

Bella's voice trembled when she spoke the next sentence. "Touch yourself. I want you to rub yourself and imagine it's me. Can you do that for me, Alice?"

"Only if you touch yourself too, I want you to wet your fingertips and circle them over your clit. Will you do that?"

"Ye-s," Bella stuttered. Arousing heat began spreading throughout her as she started massaging her moist folds. The groans from the other side of the line excited her even more. It didn't take long until her release shuddered through her body.

She could hear Alice's suppressing a moan by pressing something against her face, a pillow maybe?

"Alice, are you still there?"

"Yes, sure. Oh shit, my hands are trembling. Just give me a second. I need to find something to clean myself."

"The box with the tissues is under my side of the bed. Was this as good for you as it was for me?"

"Bella, honey, you have no idea."


	27. Chapter 27

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for all your reviews. I can't thank you enough for all the encouraging feedback you're leaving me on this story.

****27****

Alice didn't even know why her father wanted her to come with him and Eddie to the park this morning. It was Saturday. She wanted to finish off her homework and spend the rest of the day on the phone with Bella. The longing for her girlfriend was getting worse with every minutes that passed by. It cramped around her heart with an iron-like grip. Last night Carlisle and Renee had been arguing so loud on the phone that it had woken her up. Why was her father so completely against them being together? Couldn't he understand how it was like to be in love?

"Daddy, can we go to the swings?" Eddie asked, tugging on his father's hand. "I want to."

"Maybe later, Eddie. Alice, are you okay. I don't like that look on your face."

"Bella's not going to come back with Renee, is she?"

"I miss Bella." Eddie stated. "Daddy, are you angry with Alice?"

"No, I'm not." Carlisle mumbled, sitting down on a bench. "Everything is fine."

"When is Bella coming home?" the boy repeated, kneeling down to start racing a plastic truck over the ground. "I miss her."

"Soon, Eddie, she's going to come home soon." Alice whispered, feeling the tears burning in her eyes. It was just so terribly unfair.

"Hey, Carlisle,"

Alice looked up, quickly wiping a tear from her left eye. What was Dr. Platt doing here? Had her father set up this meeting behind her stepmother's back?

"Good Morning, Esme. How's it going?"

"Not too bad, not too bad." She said. Esme's nerves were tensed. During the entire last night she hadn't slept well. Now, that she was so close to her child, she wanted to absorb as much of him as possible.

"Hello, Alice. Are you alright?" Esme asked, noticing how unhappy the girl looked. Why had Carlisle brought his daughter with him?

"Teenagers," Carlisle murmured with a deep sigh. Then he cleared his throat and turned his attention to his son. "Eddie, I want you to say hi to Esme."

"Hi," he whispered, barely raising his head to look at her.

"Hi," Esme whispered back. She sat down next to Carlisle on the bench, carefully making sure not to touch him accidentally. It would make her feel a lot better to hold his hand now, but of course this was impossible. Her feelings for this man were impossible and Esme was smart enough to know that.

"Do you like cars?"

"That's a truck."

"Oh, I see. Nice truck you have there, Eddie. Do you like red?"

"I like blue better. The truck is from my friend Jake. He has a puppy."

"Do you like dogs?" Esme asked him. God, why was it so awkward to talk to her own child? It was because she knew nothing about him, not his favorite color. Not his favorite kind of ice-cream, just nothing. The thought brought her close to tears.

"Dad, can I go home. I need to finish some homework." Alice told Carlisle.

"Yes, sure, I'll see you later. Don't cook. I'll bring something with me for lunch."

"Kay, Dad."

Alice walked off and Esme moved a bit closer to Carlisle on the bench. "Thank you." she mumbled. "I mean, for bringing the boy here today."

"You're welcome. Eddie, don't sit on the ground. You'll get all dirty."

"Don't care. Can I go to the swings now?"

"Yes, but you'll stay where I can see you. Okay?"

"Yes, Daddy." He called, rushing off.

"He's such a beautiful boy." Esme said to Carlisle.

Carlisle smirked, placing his hand hesitantly on the ugly cast around her leg. "He looks like you. You both have the same beautiful red hair."

"If you find carrots beautiful," she whispered, feeling her cheeks turn warm. "Eddie seems happy. Alice not so, what's wrong with her?"

"Nothing,"

"Are you sure about that?"

"No," Carlisle breathed. "Look, it's complicated."

"I'm sure I can keep up. Is this about that surgery again? You've told me that your ex-wife wants her to get it. That's probably putting a lot of pressure on the poor girl that you and her mother are fighting about that."

"It's not about the SRS. Alice, she…god, I can't even talk about it loudly. She and Bella, they…they're kind of together."

"You mean like a couple?" Esme asked curiously. "And that's worrying you and Renee?"

"It worries me a lot for obvious reasons. Renee doesn't really know how she feels about the whole situation. The two of us have been fighting a lot about this. She doesn't seem to understand my point in it."

"What kind of reasons do you have to be against the girls' relationship? Is it because they're both girls?"

"No, of course not, do I look like a homophobic ass to you? I'm worried about Bella finding out on Alice's…differentness. I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want her to get rejected by someone she cares about."

Esme nodded her head. She remembered how the two girls had shown up in the hospital together to get Bella the morning-after-pill. Christ that meant they had already been doing it and that irrevocably lead to Bella knowing about Alice's secret. Should she tell Carlisle about this insight? No, that would probably violate the rules of the hospital. Damn it, she had already broken so many of those unwritten laws when she had allowed herself to get involved with Carlisle.

"You're so quiet. Do you think it was wrong to separate the girls?"

"Separate them?"

"Renee is in Washington with Bella. She's going to live with her father for the rest of the school year."

"You sent Bella away? Why? To punish them for falling in love with each other?"

"It's not like that." Carlisle protested. "I just thought it would be best to keep them apart for a while."

"Your ignorance on other people's feelings is shocking. You thought it would be best? Alice looks completely miserable. She's in love, most likely for the first time ever and you're making her feel bad about it."

Carlisle stood up from the bench, accidentally throwing one of Esme's crutches to the ground. "You don't understand this situation. I don't want Alice to get hurt. Hell, her own mother doesn't accept her the way she is. How can I expect something like that from a seventeen-year-old?"

Esme reached out her hand to take the crutch from Carlisle again. Their fingers touched and both of them cringed back. "You don't know how it's like to be in love." she stated. "Or you don't want to know about it, maybe because it scares you."

"I know that I hate the way you make me feel, woman." he whispered, brushing a bit of Esme's wavy hair behind her ear. The moment he realized what he was doing he dropped his hand. "I'm sorry. Look, I should go home now. Eddie! Come here. We need to leave!"

xxxx

Back at home Alice had cried her eyes out until she was completely exhausted. She felt so lonely without Bella. Finally a desperate idea formed in her mind and after making herself a cup of tea to calm down her nerves she dialed Irina's number.

"Hi Mom," Alice greeted her mother. "I'm not disturbing you right now, am I?"

"Is something wrong, sweetie? You sound as if you've cried."

"I had a fight with Dad. He just doesn't understand me."

"Oh sweetie, please don't cry. Is this about your operation again?"

Alice sighed. She wasn't a good liar but it had to be. This was her only chance to get enough money for her plan. "Yes, Mom, it is. I've made up my mind and I want the surgery. I've even made up an appointment with a surgeon. Ahm…in Seattle not here in Florida."

"But that's fantastic. See, I knew you'd come to your senses, girl. Trust me that's the best decision you could make for your life, my dear girl."

Taking a careful sip from her tea Alice continued. "Dad won't give me money for the flight and the surgery."

"Your father is an idiot. Please, don't worry about the money thing. Just use my credit card for booking everything. I'm so glad you made up your mind about this whole thing. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

For a couple of minutes Alice talked to Irina before making up an excuse to end the call. Then she called some airlines to arrange the next flight to Seattle. Her heart was racing. Carlisle would be so pissed at her if he'd find out about this. Alice didn't care about his anger too much though. All she could think about was getting to Bella as fast as she could.

Alice packed as much of her clothes as possible into her biggest suitcase. Out of breathe, she quickly scrawled a note for her father on a post-it.

_Dad,_

_Tell Mom, I'm sorry about the money. I'll pay it back to her when I can. Don't go looking for me. Sorry for being such a burden to you and her._

_Alice_

The taxi driver outside honked and Alice rushed out. She had a plane to catch.

xxxx

Bella loved Charlie more and more with every minute she got the spent with him. The fact that her dad was so supportive about her relationship with Alice made her feel a lot better. He had talked Renee into taking her back with her tomorrow and she couldn't wait to surprise Alice. She missed the girl painfully and couldn't wait to see her again.

"Are you finished with packing?" she asked Renee, sticking her head into her parents' former bedroom. Bella only had very blurred memories of her parents together. Still, every room in this house made it obvious that Charlie had never truly gotten over Renee leaving him.

"Yes, I'm done with most of it. Jeez, can you believe your father hasn't changed one single detail in this room since we moved out? That's so sad."

"Maybe he just likes it the way it is." Bella told her mother, before she lifted the suitcase from the bed. "You know he still loves you, do you?"

"What makes you think such a silly thing? Charlie still in love with me, that's impossible."

The sound of her ex-husband clearing his throat loudly made Renee turn around. "Oh hi, Charlie, could you take these downstairs for me please?"

"Sure, sure," he murmured taking the bag and suitcase to carry them down. Part of him wanted to ask Renee to stay a couple of days. He wouldn't do it thought. It would lead to nothing. His wife, ex-wife he corrected himself had made her choice in this years ago.

The doorbell rang and Charlie wondered if it was probably one of his deputies. He hadn't shown his face around the station enough during the last days. Maybe he could prove it to Renee that he wasn't the man he used to be. She was way more important to him than his job. Damn it, her opinion shouldn't matter to him at all. He opened the door, finding himself face to face with a dainty black-haired girl.

"Hi, Mr. Swan." she greeted him shyly, waving her hand. "I'm Alice. Can I see Bella?"

"Bella! You have a visitor!" Charlie called upstairs.

The moment Bella saw Alice standing in the doorframe, she jumped down the stairs. She wrapped her arms so tightly around the other girl's midsection that it would probably leave bruises on Alice's skin.

"You're here! I can't believe you're here. Oh Alice,"

Gently she touched her lips to Alice's, not caring the slightest bit that her father was watching them. She had missed her way too much.

"Alice! What are you doing here? Charlie, do something!"

He rolled his eyes at Renee's comment. "What _I_ am going to do now is to give them some privacy. You should do the same."


	28. Chapter 28

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for your amazing feedback. I can't thank you enough for how supportive you are to me. It means so much to me to know you by my side.

****28****

"I can't believe you're here, Alice." Bella whispered breathlessly between kisses. "What did you do to get Carlisle into allowing you to fly here?"

"Nothing, well, actually he doesn't even know where I am. I ran away."

"Alice, you can't just do something like that. We need to call him. He's going to be worried sick."

"I don't want him to know I'm here. He doesn't want us to be together and I can't endure the thought of being separated from you. I love you."

Bella pulled Alice on her lap and nuzzled her nose against her beloved's curls. She had missed her so much it had been physically painful.

"No one will ever manage to bring us apart. I love you forever." Bella said, running her fingertips over Alice's arms. "You have goose bumps. Are you cold? Shit you must be cold. It's freezing here."

She grabbed a blanket from the other side of the couch and wrapped it carefully around Alice's shoulder. "Better like this?"

"I could think of a better way to get warm." Alice murmured, circling her fingers up Bella's thigh. "You have your own room here, right?"

"Yes," Bella croaked huskily. It had been only a few days since she had last held Alice in her arms but now the physical need to be close to her was overwhelming her. She was pretty sure that her parents wouldn't come back too soon. It would give her and Alice a chance to have a bit more alone time.

"I want to feel you, Alice." she whispered, pulling Alice up the stairs. She locked the door to her bedroom behind them and sighed. "Did you bring the condoms with you?"

Alice blushed a bit and pulled the box out of her handbag. She sat down on the bed and petted the place next to her. Bella unbuttoned her blouse and let it carelessly fall down to the ground.

"You're so beautiful." Alice told Bella when she tugged down the small stripes of Bella's bra. She could feel herself getting hard and wet at the same time when her fingers started to caress Bella's soft flesh. Her thumbs brushed over the tips, making Bella shudder on top of her.

"God, how much I missed this."

Impatiently Bella tossed down Alice's clothes while Alice fumbled with the zipper of her jeans. She wanted to feel the heat of Bella's bare body against her own. Alice wanted to kiss every single inch of her girlfriend's skin and worship it.

When her tongue pressed against the moistness between Bella's legs a couple of minutes later, it didn't take long until Alice felt the girl climaxing against her mouth.

"I want to be inside you now." Alice groaned, her hand moving down to stroke her hard length for a few times. She handed one of the foil-wrapped condoms to Bella who ripped the package open and quickly rolled the condom down on Alice's throbbing penis.

"Is this weird for you that we need them?" Alice asked worriedly when she positioned herself between Bella's thighs.

"No, it's not. Stop worrying about it. I love you the way you are."

With a moan against Bella's ear Alice pushed forward. The tightness and heat around her was amazing. For a moment she was afraid she was going to come the split second she was inside Bella.

"I missed you." Bella whispered. "I don't ever want to be without you again."

"Never," Alice moaned, thrusting her hips back and forth. Bella's hand moved between their joined bodies to rub her clit with her fingertips.

"Fuck, Bella, you're going to make me come. You're so tight. I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, it's good." Bella moaned, wrapping her legs around Alice's body. "I want to try something new if that's okay with you."

Alice stilled her movements and caressed Bella's face. "I'd do everything for you."

Bella's face was on fire when she whispered into Alice's ear that she wanted her to take her from behind. Alice's eyes rolled back in her head when she pushed inside Bella again in the unfamiliar position. This was too good. The position was deep and Alice felt Bella's insides milking her with every thrust. Her climax crashed through her body, making it tremble from head to toe for several minutes.

She pulled out and quickly tossed the condom in the trash before she hugged Bella close against her chest. "I love you so much. Was that okay for you? I wasn't too rough, was I?"

"You're wonderful. Please don't worry about hurting me. I like it when you're inside me."

"Good," Alice mumbled, wrapping the blanket a bit tighter around them. "Because I love being inside you. I wonder how that would be if you'd put something inside me. I mean, a toy or something."

"Do you have something like that?"

"Where should I get that from? It's just a fantasy."

"We could try to order something online." Bella suggested, snuggling against Alice. "Maybe that would be fun."

"Maybe," Alice whispered. "God, I'm so glad we're back together. There is no way I'm going back home without you."

xxxx

Renee sipped on the glass of white wine. It was cheap and sweet, like everything inside the diner. She remembered how Charlie, Bella and she had come to eat here every Sunday. The little one had smeared her face with ketchup while Charlie had spent most of the time playing darts.

"Is your spinach salad okay?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. "You've barely touched it."

"I'm too nervous to eat." she stated, wiping her mouth on a napkin. "Can we go back and check on Isabella and Alice? I don't think it was a good idea to leave them alone."

"What are you concerned about? They're both girls. It's not like Bella could get pregnant or anything like that."

"I don't want them to be together."

Charlie gulped the rest of his beer down and chuckled. "I don't think you get a vote in this. Look, if you ruin that for Bella she's going to hate you for the rest of her life."

"You don't understand this situation."

"Maybe you're the one who doesn't understand. Why are you so against it? I mean apart from the fact that she and Bells are stepsiblings."

"I don't know. It's just. What if things between them end badly? Isabella is seventeen. Seventeen-year-olds change their minds all the time. How awkward would that be to be family with someone you dated?"

"You're worrying too much. That has always been your problem that you worry too much. Just relax. Everything is going to turn out okay."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I'm not." he stated calmly. "I just want you to stop making this seem like the end of the world. They like each other. Maybe it's going to last. Maybe not, whatever it does, there is nothing you can do to influence it, so for heaven's sake stop trying."

Renee sighed and took another gulp from her wine. Drinking on an empty stomach always made her tipsy.

"You remind me of your mother." Charlie told Renee. "How she was like when we got married and she tried to convince you what a big mistake you were making."

"I don't think marrying you was a mistake." Renee whispered. "We were just too young and wanted different things from life."

He leaned over the table and cupped her chin in his hand. "All I ever wanted was you. That's all I ever wanted, but it was never good enough for you."

"It takes two to make a marriage fail." Renee said, standing up from her chair.

Charlie placed the money under his glass and grabbed his jacket. "You're the one who left me. You took our child and ran off in a cloak-and-dagger operation."

"It wasn't like that." Renee protested on their way to the parking lot. "I just needed a break."

"From what?"

"From everything, for fucks sake! You were never around. I hated sitting home and wait for you."

He opened the door of the cruiser and sighed. "Don't you think I'd rather spent my nights with you instead of scratching dead biker from the asphalt?"

"Your job is important to you. I know that."

"It is, because it's the only thing I have left."

Starting the engine his fingers brushed gently over Renee's bare knee.

"Let's not talk about the past anymore. It makes both of us bitter."

"Kay," Renee mumbled. She wasn't dressed warm enough for the awful weather down here in Forks. Charlie noticed how she was shivering and turned on the heat some more.

"You're going to catch a cold in this skirt." he mumbled, rubbing his palm up Renee's thigh. This was the closest he had been to her in years. Any second she was going to tell him to stop. She needed to be the one to tell him to stop because there was no way he was going to be the one to do it.

xxxx

Carlisle's hands trembled when he put down the phone again. Did only idiots work at the police? How difficult could it be to find a young girl? He re-read the note Alice had left for him and crumbled it between his fingers. She was gone. Alice had run away because he had tried to get her and Bella apart.

He was glad that Emmett and Rose had quickly agreed to babysit Eddie so that he could concentrate better on trying to find Alice. Maybe she was with one of her friends from school? After calling every one of the girls from her class without success, he sighed deeply.

Where was she? Carlisle considered calling Irina, but he knew she was going to freak if he told her what had happened.

The phone started ringing and he picked up as quickly as he could. "Alice?"

"No, um, it's me. I am not calling at a bad time, am I?"

"No, you're not. Esme, look, I don't really have time to talk now. Alice ran away and I have no idea where she is."

"She ran away? Oh my god, that's just horrible. Have you called the police?"

"Of course I've called them. They said that most teenagers come back within a couple of hours. God, I'm so worried. All of this is my fault."

"Do you want me to help you looking for her?"

"You don't have to do this."

"I know." Esme whispered into the receiver. "But I want to."

Three hours later when Carlisle and her entered the house again, Carlisle's nerves were blank. They had been searching for Alice all over town. It was as if the girl had just vanished from the surface of the earth. What if she had decided to hitch-hike and ended up in some perverted killer's car? The thought made him sick to his stomach.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Esme asked him worriedly. "You look pale."

To her immense shock, he wrapped his arms around her waist and sobbed dryly. "If anything happens to her, it's on me."

For a moment Esme stiffened but then her heart warmed. He seemed so terribly vulnerable now. She stroked his hair and whispered softly to him that everything was going to be okay.

"No," he croaked, wiping his nose. "Alice thinks I hate her. She wrote that she doesn't want me to look for her. She thinks she's a burden to me and her mother. I'm a horrible father for making her feel that way."

"You're not." Esme told him, carefully sitting down on his lap. Her fingers weaved through his curls, massaging his temples very lightly. "You're a good father. I know you are."

"I'm not. I'm a crappy father and an even lousier husband."

"Why do you think you're a bad husband?"

"Because I can't stop having these thoughts about you, no matter how hard I try to. I want you."

She sighed and stroked down his jaw with quivering fingertips. This was like playing with fire and she was scared to burn herself. It was going to be painful. She could get hurt and Esme had been hurt more than enough in her life.

Still when his lips touched hers she couldn't find it in her to push him away again. Maybe both of them were going to hell for this. There was price to pay for every choice you made.


	29. Chapter 29

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for all your feedback. Your support is everything to me.

****29****

Charlie Swan was not a man of many words. Talking was not his strength. It never had been. He had driven Renee to the airport in Port Angeles and kissed her chastely on the forehead. Not one word about what had happened between him and her last night left his lips. There wouldn't be a repeat. That much Charlie was sure about.

Renee was barely able to look him in the eyes. Last night had been a mistake. One she was determined to forget as soon as she could. She forced her lips into a smile and made Charlie promise her to take good care of the girls. Bella and Alice had both agreed that they wanted to stay in Forks for a while.

She would fly back to Florida on her own. Maybe that would be a good idea. Carlisle would be mad at her for that decision but she could live with that.

When Charlie returned back to his place the delicious scent of fresh cooked food entered his nose.

"You didn't need to cook, Bells." he stated, hanging up his jacket. "We could have just ordered some pizza."

"Dad, I like cooking and this is our way to tell you thanks for letting us stay with you."

"I'm barely home. It's not a big deal."

He walked over to the fridge and pulled a beer out of it. "Cheers."

"Isn't it a bit too early for beer?" Bella asked, while she continued stirring in the pan.

"Beer has vitamins in it. Alice, my daughter is not trying to smart mouth you like that, is she?"

Alice blushed and placed the plates and cutlery on the kitchen table. "She's a darling to me. I love her so much."

"That's good to hear, kiddo. That's good to hear."

"My father is pretty angry at me." Alice whispered, taking a sip from her diet coke. "He was furious when I called him."

"I would be angry too if my child decided to run away. Of course I'd track her down in no time because I have my…um…sources."

Bella filled Charlie's plate with chicken and pasta before she sat down at the table. Forks wasn't really the place where she wanted to spend the rest of her life but it was good for a start.

"Carlisle needs to calm down. He's been an ass to Alice." Bella said, squeezing Alice's hand under the table. "The next time he yells at her, I'm going to freak. She's always crying when someone is rude to her."

Charlie lifted his beer to his mouth and took a big gulp. "Well, I don't want to defend him, but he seemed worried to me. The police in Florida told me he almost cried when he called them. He thought that god knows what kind of bad things had happened to you. It took that moron a bit long to figure out where you went."

"Dad couldn't know that I had enough money for the flight." Alice told Charlie. She still needed to break the truth the Irina. Her mother had been so happy when she had mentioned her upcoming surgery. The thought was painful for Alice. Her entire life she had been struggling with her secret and it had tortured her. She felt blessed that she had Bella now. She loved her so much and didn't want to lose her ever.

"Alice and I would rather rent a place of our own. I've found this school in Seattle where I could take all the courses I need. Will you let us move there?"

"Seattle? That's not really a safe place for two young girls. I'd rather have you stay her with me."

"Dad, please. I need to attend a school that offers a better schedule than Forks high. You don't need to worry about us. Alice and I, we're adults."

"Bells, I didn't say no. I just want you to be careful. I don't want you to end up in some shitty apartment where they are cooking meth and other crap next door."

His cell started beeping and after murmuring into the receiver for a couple of minutes he stood up and apologized to the girls that he had to check for something at the police station.

Bella and Alice finished their meal. Then Alice started washing the dishes while Bella dried. For a few minutes they worked next to each other in silence.

"Where did you have the money for the flight here? You didn't tell me."

Alice took a deep breath. "Mom gave it to me. I lied to her that I wanted to fly to Seattle to get my surgery here."

"What did she say to that?" Bella asked. "You're not really planning on having it, right? I don't want you to get surgery. It's too risky."

"I don't want the operation. But mom was so thrilled. It made me feel so…low somehow. Why can't she just accept me the way I am? She's supposed to love me."

Bella put the glasses back in the cupboards and sighed. She wrapped her arms around Alice's waist and pushed the smaller girl against the kitchen counter. She lifted her up on it, keeping her hands around Alice's middle.

"I love you the way you are. I love you more than anything. Please, don't take it so much to your heart what your parents think."

"I try to." Alice mumbled. "When do you think Charlie is going to come back?"

"Not too soon." Bella whispered, pushing her hand under Alice's skirt. "Not too soon."

She stroked Alice gently, enjoying how her shaft hardened under the touch of her fingers. Then she shoved down Alice's underwear and lowered her mouth to take the moist glistening tip of Alice's penis into her mouth. Alice groaned. The sensation of Bella's mouth, grasping around her like a wet tight glove was incredible. Bella could feel herself becoming moist between her legs. Her underwear was soaked within seconds. She loved the way Alice responded to it when she put her mouth on her. It was such a turn-on for both of them. Bella's right hand moved underneath the waistband of her sweats and started rubbing her clit.

It didn't take long until her climax pulsed through Alice, making Bella cough when she tried to swallow around her.

"God, Bella, I love you so much. You drive me crazy. That feels so amazing when you put me in your mouth. It's divine."

Bella kissed Alice's lips and caressed her beloved girlfriend's face. "I like doing that. Oh, Alice, I love you. We belong together. You and I are going to be together forever."

They went upstairs and turned on the ancient computer in Bella's room. It would be difficult for them to find a place of their own. But they were determined not to give up.

"We need to find jobs first. Something we can do part-time while we're attending school." Bella stated. "Who is going to rent an apartment to us when we don't have money to pay for it?"

"This sounds good." Alice said, pointing to an advertisement that had just popped up on the screen. "It's a one-bedroom apartment above a drugstore. They're also looking for someone to work the nightshift on weekends. That would just be perfect."

They called the phone number next to the ad and after Bella assured the woman that her father was a police officer who would act as a guarantor she was willing to give things a try.

"We're going to have our own place!" Bella called out. "This is going to be wonderful."

xxxx

Carlisle's nerves were blank when he picked up his wife from the airport. He hated cheater more than anything and yet now he had become exactly that himself. He was a failure as a husband and as a father he was a complete disappointment. Why was it so difficult for him to get through to his almost grown-up daughter?

"Daddy, are Bella and Alice going to come home with Mommy?" Eddie asked impatiently from the backseat. "I miss them."

"They're going to stay away a bit longer." Carlisle muttered. "They are big girls and need some time to themselves."

"That's stupid. I want them to come home."

"I know, Eddie, but…oh there's your mother coming."

Renee hugged her adoptive son and kissed his forehead before she turned her attention to her husband.

"This is your fault. I wanted them to come back but then you had to fuck everything up by yelling at Alice again."

"Renee, calm down. We should not discuss this in front of the boy."

"Mommy, are you angry at Daddy?"

"Yes, I am. Eddie, put your earphones in and sing to the music, can you do that?"

Carlisle sighed and stepped out of the car. He really didn't want to have this conversation with Renee in the middle of a parking lot.

"I'm sorry. She ran away. I was scared."

"You have a strange way of showing that, Cullen. I don't like the idea of our daughters dating too much but this tantrum you are throwing is beyond ridiculous. They are both girls. It's not like they are going to risk an unwanted pregnancy or something like that."

Carlisle could feel the blood leaving his face. He sat down on the wet asphalt and buried his face in his hands.

"Are you sick?" Renee asked, quickly kneeling down next to her husband. "What's wrong?"

"There is something about Alice that I haven't told you about."

"What?"

"She's different…I mean physically different."

"You're not making any sense to me. Is she sick or something?"

"No…she…was born like this. The chances for a baby to be born like that are one to…,"

"Carlisle, I don't care too much about your medical theories. What is wrong with Alice? Is it something contagious? Should I worry about Isabella?"

"Yes, no…god, this is so complicated. Do you know what a hermaphrodite is?"

"Not exactly, wait are you trying to tell me Alice is a boy?"

"She's a girl, but a girl who has been born with a set of male genitalia."

Renee helped him to stand up from the ground. "Do you think Bella knows?"

"Who should I know? It's not like they would tell me if they are…um…sexually active."

"Could they make a child together? Oh my god, that's so sick!"

"See, that's why I didn't want you to know. It's bad enough when I have to worry."

During their ride back to their house both of them were silent. So this was the secret? The reason why he didn't want the girls to be together? Why didn't he tell her before? She had expected him to trust her.

"You are still wearing your scarf. This is Florida. Take it off." Carlisle stated when they entered the house.

"Throat infection," Renee muttered, wrapping the silk a bit tighter around her neck. She was determined to forget her night with Charlie. One night of weakness wasn't worth to ruin a marriage. If only she and Carlisle would find a way to work out their problems. If only…

"Carlisle, you need to call Alice and apologize to her. I expect you to try everything to convince the girls to come back home. I don't want to lose my child."

"Mommy, is Bella going to die?"

"Eddie, why do you think something like that? Bella is good. We can call her later if you want to."

"Yes!" he called out before rushing up the stairs to his room.

"There is something else I want to discuss with you. Can we sit down for a moment before I have to leave for my shift?"

"You're always working. This is not how I imagined my marriage to be like."

"Doctors don't work from nine to five. You knew this when we got married."

"Remember to call Alice. If you fuck this up, the girls will cut us out of their lives and I don't want that to happen."

"I'll call her. I promise."

"Good. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"We need to tell Eddie about the adoption."


	30. Chapter 30

[Disclaimer] Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks to those of you who like my little story. Without your support I wouldn't be here.

****30****

The place was a hole. There was no way to sugarcoat this fact. Alice and Bella had set their heart on renting the apartment but Charlie had made it clear to them that there was no way he was going to let them live there.

"But Dad," Bella started another attempt. "It wasn't as bad as you make it seem."

Charlie rolled his eyes. He tightened his grip around the steering wheel. "The windows aren't tight and that brown stuff dripping from the faucet doesn't exactly seem like clean water to me."

"It was cheap. You can't expect a palace for what they wanted for rent." she stated, playing around on the pendant around her neck. Bella knew her father was right. There was no way she was going to admit this though.

"Bella, maybe your Dad is right." Alice mumbled. "Neither me nor you know how to fix anything in that apartment. The heat isn't working properly. We'd freeze to death in that place."

"Are you on my side now or on his?" Bella snarled. "I thought you wanted us to have our own place."

Alice cringed. All of this was her fault. If it wasn't for her, Bella would still be living with Renee and her Dad in Florida. She was making Bella's life so much more complicated.

During the rest of the drive back to Charlie's place she stayed very quiet on the backseat. Charlie dropped them off and headed for the police station. Burying himself in work was his attempt to keep him from thinking too much about his ex-wife. Cheating was something that was below everything he valued. Still it seemed impossible for him to regret what had happened between him and Renee.

"The apartment was not that bad." Bella stated. "I could learn how to fix the stupid faucet. That can't be that difficult."

"What about the broken locks? I wouldn't be able to sleep just one minute in that place." Alice told her in a low voice.

Bella sighed. Then she noticed how Alice's eyes were starting to look all glassy.

"Hey, why are you crying now?" she asked, pulling Alice on her lap. "What's wrong with you?"

"This," Alice sobbed loudly. "This is our first fight."

Bella wrapped her arms tightly around Alice and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's forehead.

"I'm sorry. Please, don't be sad. I don't care about the stupid apartment. I care about you."

"But this is my fault! We're only here because of me."

"We're here because Carlisle and my Mom have been acting like total jerks. Look, honey, please don't blame yourself. I don't want you to feel bad."

Alice sniffed. When she was all agitated like this it was hard for her to calm down again. There was an almost unbearable tightness in her chest.

The phone started ringing and the girls ignored it until they heard Carlisle's voice on the machine.

"I'll handle this." Bella told Alice, planting another soft kiss on the smaller girl's cheek.

Then she jumped from the couch and rushed over to take the call.

"Hey Carlisle," she greeted him breathlessly.

"Hello, Bella. Is Alice around?"

"Yes."

"Can I talk to her for a minute?"

"I don't want you to be rude to her again. She's not taking it too good when someone is harsh on her."

"I didn't mean it like that. Can you tell her I'm sorry? Please, I want the two of you to come back home."

"Carlisle, I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Bella, please, your mother is so mad at me because of all of this. I really want you to come back."

"We'll think about it." Bella murmured. "The weather down here doesn't exactly float our boat. But you need to stop acting like a jerk. Alice and I, we're together and there is nothing you can do against that."

She could hear him sigh deeply into the receiver. "Do you know that she's…different from other girls? I just want—,"

Bella hissed through her front teeth. "I love Alice. I love her the way she is. That's nothing you need to worry about."

xxxx

Esme took a deep breath before she knocked on the door to Carlisle's office. It seemed impossible to her to keep her emotions at bay and yet it was inevitable. The night she had spent with him had only intensified her feelings for this man. She was in love and there was nothing that was going to change this fact.

"Hi," she whispered, trying to keep her voice halfway calm. "I just came because I need your signature on these papers."

He looked up from his desk and nodded his head. "Yes, sure. Just leave them here. I look through them later."

"Are you alright? You seem tensed."

"It makes me feel uncomfortable that you're worrying about me. That's just not right."

A shy smile appeared on Esme's face. "Not much between me and you is right. It's still real though."

He stepped behind her and buried his face into the soft copper curls. Memories of their night together flashed through Carlisle's mind, making his blood boil inside his veins.

"I want to stay away from you, but I can't."

"Carlisle, we can't do this. It's wrong. I can't be your whore."

"It's not like that."

Esme shook her head. "It's exactly like that. As far as I know you're still married. That would make me the other woman."

"I want to talk to my wife but things are complicated enough right now."

"Because of Alice and Bella? I thought you wanted to apologize to your daughter and convince her to come back to Florida."

"I don't know if the girls will come back. Bella said they only would consider that if I allowed them to sleep in one room."

"And you don't want that? Why?"

"I can't allow them to have sex under my roof."

"Seriously, how oldfashioned are you? The girls will probably do it anyway. It's not like they need your permission for that. If I were you—,"

"You're not me. What do you know about raising teenagers? If Bella gets pregnant—"

"There is this new medical invention called contraception. Have you heard about it?"

"You're not grasping the problem here."

"Carlisle, there is no problem. You're making everything seem more difficult than it actually is. You and I. That is wrong. But Bella and Alice that's just…love."

xxxx

Bella braided her hair before she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you feeling a bit better now? I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know." Alice whispered. She lifted the blankets up and petted the empty place next to her. "Now, come here. I'm tired."

"How tired are you?" Bella asked, cuddling against Alice from behind. "Do you want to sleep?"

She let her fingers glide down Alice's hips, caressing the flat skin of the girl's abdomen.

"Not tonight." Alice murmured. "I have cramps."

"My poor girl, I'm sorry about that. Do you want something against the pain? I'm sure there is something in the bathroom cabinet."

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

Bella placed her hands underneath Alice's bellybutton and sighed. "Periods suck."

"Do you want to move back to Florida or do you want to stay here?"

"I want whatever you want, Alice."

"And if I wasn't?"

"What silly question is this supposed to be? You are the most important person in my life. I want you to be happy."

"I want you to be happy. Maybe you'd be happier without me. I make your life so terribly complicated."

"You're not making things complicated. I love you. You make me happier than I ever hoped to be."

"Do you want to move back home?"

"I miss Eddie and my Mom, so the answer is yes. But if Carlisle is going to act like an asshole again, I'll put us on the next plane to Seattle again."

xxxx

Renee was thrilled when Bella called her the next day to let her know that she and Alice had decided to return back home. Everything was going to be okay again. Her mood was cheerful and when Eddie stumbled down into the kitchen she was stirring some bacon and eggs around in the pan for breakfast.

"Good Morning, sweetie. Did you get dressed on your own? That's my big boy."

"I'm almost six."

"In June, Eddie, your birthday is in June. That's still five more months."

"How long are five months?"

"We're going to mark the days in the calendar we have in the living room. Would you like that?" she asked him, filling her plate with the eggs and the bacon. The smell made her mouth water. She felt famished.

"When is Bella coming home?" he asked, dipping his spoon into the bowl of cereals in front of him. "I miss her so much my tummy hurts."

"Your sisters are going to come home soon. Do you want to help me bake a cake for them?"

"Yes, please! Can we make chocolate cake?"

"Sure, sweetie, that's a great idea."

She went over to the fridge and pulled cheese and some cold Chinese leftovers from last night out. God, why was she so terribly hungry today? Stuffing down so much food was going to make her fat.

"Can I have a little brother?"

"I don't think your father would like that too much. We don't have a room for another baby."

"He could stay in my room." The boy suggested immediately.

"Babies make a lot of work, Eddie. All they do is sleep or cry."

"Then I want a puppy. Can I get one for my birthday? Oh please, Mom!"

Renee laughed. She planted a kiss on Eddie's head before she poured herself a big glass of chocolate milk.

"We still have some time to decide on your birthday presents."

He shook his head. Then he crossed his arms in front of his little chest. "I learned where the babies come from."

"From whom?"

"Jake says the Daddy puts the baby inside the Mommy's tummy. How does he put them there?"

"Honey, that's something, your father is going to explain to you when you're older."

"But I want to know now!"

"Well, sometimes when Mommies and Daddies cuddle a lot that makes a baby."

"And then the baby grows inside the Mommy?" he asked with huge eyes.

"Yes, sweetie." Renee stated. "Are you finished with your cereals? I need to drop you off at your kindergarten before my first client comes here."

She made Eddie brush his teeth and tried to tame his hair rather without success. On her way out the door she almost knocked down someone who was standing in front of it.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Cullen. My name is Charles Evenson. May I come in for a minute? There is something important that I'd like to discuss with you."


	31. Chapter 31

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to SM

[A/N] Thanks to those of you who take the time to read the story. I appreciate your support

****31****

Like everyone who had been confronted with a horrible premonition Renee couldn't manage to calm down herself. She hadn't slept well during the last nights and now deep shadows were starting to show underneath her eyes. When she lifted the mug with the coffee towards her lips the scent of it made her stomach churn. Was she getting sick? It was probably just the stress.

With teary eyes she leaned down to press her lips against the messy hair on her little son's head. She wouldn't allow for him to be taken away. Eddie was her son. She was going to protect him.

"No kissies! They're yucky." the boy protested, kicking his shoes against the table.

"I'm sorry. Mommy tends to forget you're a big boy now."

"When is Bella coming home?"

"Your father is just picking the girls up from the airport right now. Aren't we glad that they are coming home to us?"

He nodded his head. "Are you and Daddy angry at each other?"

"No, of course not," Renee assured him quickly. "Sometimes adults like to talk a bit louder when they get agitated. That doesn't mean they're fighting."

Renee walked over to the sink and poured the rest of Eddie's breakfast down. She hated all this fighting with Carlisle. He didn't want to understand her point. Evenson had warned her about his ex-wife's mental issues. There was no way she was going to allow that woman near her son ever again. Her husband just didn't want to understand her.

Why would Evenson be lying? That man had showed her some documents from the asylum his ex-wife had been transformed to during their marriage.

The sound of the front door opening interrupted Renee's inner worries.

"Hey, little lion!" Bella called out. She lifted her little brother up. "Oh, you're heavy. I can't carry you anymore."

"Bella! Bella, you are finally home. I missed you so much."

She laughed and put the boy back down again. "You need to tell Alice that you missed her too or she's going to be sad."

"I missed you, Alice. Can we go to the park now?" he asked impatiently. "I want to go."

"Maybe a bit later, Eddie." Alice told him. "Bella and I need to unpack first."

Carlisle cleared his throat and sighed. "Renee, are you sure about this one bedroom thing? Because I—"

"Don't start this again, Cullen. Bella, honey of course you and Alice will be allowed to share one room. I know you girls are smart and being safe."

Being safe. Her own words echoed in Renee's head. Being safe. She remembered how she hadn't remembered to ask Charlie to use a condom. Thinking wasn't actually her strong point when she was aroused. There was no way though anything could have happened. Crap, why couldn't she remember when she had her last period? Damn it, she needed to check her calendar.

"How are they being safe?" Eddie asked his mother.

Renee cringed. "They are just not allowed to get into trouble. Same goes for you. Can you go upstairs and get your jacket?"

He rushed up the stairs and Renee turned to Alice and Bella. "I'm really glad that you've decided to come back home. I promise we won't stand in your way. Right, Carlisle?"

"Renee, you are getting on my nerves. If Bella ends up pregnant it'll be your fault. Anyway, it's good to have you back home, girls."

He planted a kiss on Alice's cheek. "Don't make me a Granddad, okay?"

"You're embarrassing us, Dad. It's not like we don't know how contraception works."

Bella took one of the heavy suitcases and pulled it up the stairs. "Alice, come with me. I need your help with this one. Who finds so many new clothes in Forks apart from you?"

A few minutes later the girls were sitting on the edge of their bed. They were a bit tired from the flight back to Florida but most of all they felt pretty good. Their parents would get used to the fact that they were dating. Even if Carlisle still seemed a bit paranoid about Alice knocking up Bella.

"Do you want to have kids? I mean when we're a bit older?" Alice asked her girlfriend. She took Bella's hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'm not sure yet. We don't have to decide this right away, have we? I like to have you all to myself for a little longer."

"We need to buy new condoms." Alice stated, opening her suitcase. She wouldn't be able to wear the warm sweaters she had bought down in Forks. They were so soft and comfy though…

"Maybe it would be easier if I just went on the pill." Bella suggested. "It's cheaper too."

Alice pulled Bella's face closer to hers and kissed her mouth. She wanted to undo the buttons of Bella's shirt and cup the soft mounds of her beloved's breasts in her hands. There was no time for that though. Maybe later tonight, hopefully later tonight, Alice thought.

"Alice! Bella! Can we go to the park now?" Eddie called from downstairs.

"Wait." Bella said when Alice stood up from the bed. "I need another kiss to make it through this day."

"Well, then I need to make sure it's a good one." Alice whispered against Bella's soft lips.

"Bella! Bella, can we go now!"

"Little tyrant." Bella chuckled.

"He just missed you. That's so cute."

xxxx

Carlisle leaned his head against the cold glass of the desk in his office. His temples were throbbing with the beginning pain of a horrible headache. He hated himself. He hated the situation he had brought himself into.

"Are you alright?" Esme's light voice asked him worriedly. She placed her hand on his neck and started to massage the tensed muscles with her fingertips.

"Did everything go okay with the girls?"

"They are home now. I don't like the thought of them sharing a room though. It makes me nervous."

"You are too old-fashioned. Try to relax a bit. Everything is going to be okay with them."

He raised his head to run his fingers through his hair. It was a miracle that it hadn't turned completely grey from all the stress in the last weeks.

"Your cast is off."

"Do you want to see my scar? It's gross."

"The Plastic Surgeons are up on the seventh floor if you wish to get it removed."

She rolled her eyes at him for that comment. Like she could ever afford to get cosmetic surgeries, she thought bitterly. Esme was critical about that anyway.

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Carlisle assured her. "Has Dr. Benson cleared you ready for surgery again?"

"Tomorrow, he said I should take it easy today and try to rest some more. I'm too agitated to relax."

Carlisle lifted her up on the table and pressed his face against her lab coat covered chest. This was not just some superficial affair. He cared about this woman and was powerless to resist these feelings.

"We can't keep doing this." she breathed. "I can't do this anymore."

"I know. That's what I keep telling myself."

"This is not fair to your wife. You need to make up your mind. You can't have both of us."

"Renee isn't going to take this well."

"If she finds out from anyone else but you it will be way worse."

"You're right about that." He stated. "I just don't want to hurt her. Renee is a good person. She doesn't deserve this to happen."

Esme nodded her head. She pushed Carlisle a bit further away from herself and stood up from the table. It was impossible for her to think clearly with him so close to her.

"Charles is here because of me. He just can't get near me because of the restraining order."

"You need to press charges against that man. He's told Renee a lot of crap about you."

"The part with the asylum is true."

"You were there because you were sick, not crazy. There is a difference."

xxxx

Alice leaned her head against Bella's lap and closed her eyes. The sun was pleasantly warm against her face. It was making her weary.

"Do you think Eddie will get bored on the slides?" Bella asked Alice. "We've been here for almost two hours now."

"Do you want to home? It's so nice out here."

Someone chuckled next to them. The creepy sound of it made the girls jump apart.

"Mr. Evenson." Alice greeted him nervously.

"If I were you, I'd be studying for the test the class is going to do on Monday. But Alice is going to fail anyway. Missing classes for weeks isn't smart."

Alice's face paled. Her mouth opened to make a response to Evenson's comment but somehow the words stuck in her throat.

"Bella, can we buy some ice-cream?" Eddie asked his sister. The boy noticed Evenson standing next to Alice and cringed. Then he made both his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Go away. You're not allowed to speak to my sisters. You're a stranger."

Evenson grinned. "Feisty little thing, aren't you? I bet you got that from your slut of a mother. Esme always had a big mouth until I made her shut up."

"Eddie, we're leaving." Bella stated. There was something about the way her teacher was staring at her little brother that made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"But I want ice-cream!"

"We'll buy some on our way home. Alice, are you coming?"

Back at their car, Bella felt like punching something. What a weirdo. What the hell did he have to do with Dr. Platt?

"That man was mean. Alice, what's a slut? I know it's a bad word but I don't know what it means."

"You don't need to know that. Can you put on your seatbelt yourself or do you need help with it?"

"Can do it alone." he announced proudly. "Now can we get some ice-cream?"

Half an hour later when Bella parked the car in front of her parent's house she was still feeling tensed. How could Mr. Evenson know that Dr. Platt was Eddie's birth mom?

"Mommy, we brought ice-cream!" Eddie called, rushing into the kitchen were Renee was snacking on some mixed pickles. She was constantly hungry these days and had developed a craving for sour and sweet tastes combined. Ice cream sounded pretty good to her right now.

"That's great that you brought ice-cream with you. Go upstairs and wash your hands. You have grass and sand all over them."

When the boy was out of sight Bella pulled bowls out of the cupboard about the sink and placed them on the counter.

"Mom, there is something I need to tell you about. We met Mr. Evenson in the park. He made some weird comments about Dr. Platt."

"Why does he know she's Eddie's real mother?" Alice asked Renee. "What does he have to do with her?"

"Who's my real mother?" Eddie asked, his green eyes widening in shock.

"Me," Renee croaked. She quickly kneeled down next to him and pulled him on her lap. "I'm your real Mommy. Never forget that, sweetie."

"Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing. Mommy is just being silly."

Renee sniffed and took a deep breathe. She needed to tell him the truth. It was time.

"Look, sweetie. There is something Mommy needs to tell you. Do you remember how we talked about how babies grow in their mother's tummy?"

"Hmm," he mumbled, nodding his head.

"I'm your Mommy but you did not grow inside my tummy when you were a baby."

"Where did I come from?"

"Well, you had another mommy but she couldn't take care of you. That's why she gave you to me and your daddy to be your parents."

"But Bella is still my sister, is she?"

"Sure, Eddie, I will always be your sister. Do you want to have some of that ice-cream now?"


	32. Chapter 32

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to SM

[A/N] I hope you are all doing better than me right now. I'm a bit stoned from all the pain meds in my blood. Thanks for your support and your interest in my story here. I'm grateful to know you by my side.

****32****

"Are those real?" Renee asked, holding the x-rays against the light. Even to her untaught eyes the healed cracks in the ribs were visible. Tiny, fine lines of white between the bones and each one of them a reminder of a horrible abuse.

"Yes." Esme whispered nervously. "They are real. All of them are real. You need to understand what kind of person my ex-husband is."

Renee nodded and placed the x-rays down on the table. It felt strange to her having Dr. Platt here in her living room. After everything that Evenson had told her about his unstable, hysteric ex-wife she was suspicious. Those pictures though. They made things appear in a completely different light to her. A wave of compassion spread through Renee and she felt tears watering her eyes. Why was she getting so emotional all the time? Yesterday she had sobbed like a baby after a sad song during a TV commercial. Maybe it was the change? Crap, she was just thirty-eight how could she already be meno-pausal? The thought made her feel old and terribly unattractive.

"Mrs. Cullen, are you well? I didn't mean to offend you by showing you those pictures."

"It's okay. Well, I mean, it's not okay. Why did you stay with the bastard for so long?"

"I was scared. People tend to not think rationally when they are scared. Charles always apologized to me after he hit me. He was all I had. I was emotionally depended on him and he knew that."

Renee sighed and lifted the cup with cocoa to her mouth to sip. She didn't even like milk products that much but in the last time she was constantly craving those.

"Carlisle told me that Charles forced you to sign the adoption papers?"

"I don't have proof of that." Esme stated, shoving the x-rays back into the envelope. "It's his word against mine."

"I understand your point but you need to remember that Eddie is my son now." Renee said coldly. "I feel sorry for everything you've been through but there is no way I'm giving him up again."

"I know." Esme croaked with a tear-filled voice. "He's five. There is no way to turn back the time for me."

"But you want to have contact with him. That's the reason why you're here today, right?"

Esme nodded and wiped some tears from the corner of her eye. This situation was so fucked up. She was sleeping with the husband of the woman next to her on the couch. Maybe all of this would be easier if Renee was a heartless bitch. The truth was though she was far from that. Renee was caring and friendly. She didn't deserve to be cheated on. If she only could stop loving Carlisle, Esme thought, feeling her heart starting to ache. Love was not supposed to be so difficult.

"Please, don't cry now." Renee pleaded. "If you cry, I will cry with you. God, I'm such a crybaby. It's embarrassing."

Renee pulled out a tissue and cleaned her nose. "You need to know that not every man is like him. I hope you know that."

"I know." Esme whispered nervous. She needed to bring Carlisle to talk to his wife. But she was so scared that he wasn't going to choose her side. After all, Renee and he had a family together. A family Esme didn't want to destroy and yet she was already on a way to irrevocably do it.

"Oh look, now I've made you cry too. I'm so sorry about that."

"I'm fine. God, you're really compassionate. Carlisle never mentioned how sensitive you are."

"Must be the hormones, I guess."

"Hormones?"

"My menopause is starting. I have all the symptoms. Hot flush…late period."

Esme raised one eyebrow. "You're way too young for that. Maybe you should make up an appointment with your gynecologist to have him take a look at you."

"Yes, I'll do that."

"Great. Look, I need to leave now. My shift is going to start in an hour and need to prepare for the surgery."

"I see. Oh, and please don't worry about what I said about you not being allowed to see Eddie again. It's his birth father whom we need to keep away from the boy."

xxxx

It felt awkward to Bella and Alice to be back at school. Everyone kept asking about their sudden disappearance. The girls told their class mates it was a family thing and that they didn't wish to talk about it anymore. Alice's head was throbbing after she learned of everything she had missed in class. School was already difficult enough for her. Now, there was no way she was going to make it through this school year. The fear of failing cramped inside her chest and knocked the breath out of her. Her plans of attending College together with Bella were drifting further and further away.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Bella asked her during their lunch break. She and Alice had decided to eat outside to enjoy a bit of the warm sun. "You're so quiet."

"I will never manage to catch up with all the stuff we missed while we were in Forks. Dad is going to be mad at me when I fail."

"He won't. It's Carlisle's fault too that you missed some school. Please, don't worry so much about this. I can help you. We'll study together."

Alice nodded and rested her head against Bella's shoulder. "At least Evenson, that freak, is not here today. Thank God. There's no way I could have managed to pass that history test."

Bella pressed her lips against Alice's ear and murmured. "I want you to relax. Everything is going to be okay. I promise." She cupped Alice's face in her hands and pulled her close for a tender kiss. "We'll start with studying together today. After school we'll go to the library to catch up."

With a sigh, Alice hugged Bella closer against her side. She was so glad to have Bella in her life. Irina's decision to send Alice to live with her father was the best thing that could have happened to the girl.

"Kiss me, before we need to go back inside." Bella whispered, kissing Alice's mouth again. "I can't kiss you in class."

Someone snickered behind them. "Nice show, girls. How cute when things are staying in the family."

"Mike, piss off." Bella growled. "This is none of your business."

"You two are stupid dykes who need to get laid. And Incest? Don't you know that's fucking illegal?" He asked with a stupid grin on his face.

Bella stood up from the ground and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Then she took a step forward to Mike. "You know shit. Alice and I are not related by blood. It's nobody's business if we're together or not."

"Who's together?" Jessica asked, walking towards the girls and Mike. "Did I miss anything here?"

"Bella was just about to suck faces with Alice. Isn't that sick?"

"You are a couple? For real?" Jessica questioned.

Bella nodded and reached out her hand to take Alice's quivering one in hers. Alice was so terribly nervous. There was no way Bella was going to let anyone make Alice feel bad for being with her. They belonged together. Nothing would ever destroy their love.

"Yes," she stated. "Alice and I, we are a couple. If you have anything to say to it, Jess, feel free to do it to my face."

"I don't know what to say." Jessica admitted. "Do you parents know?"

"Yep," Alice whispered. "That's why they sent Bella to her father in Washington."

"And you went after her? Wow, that's so romantic. That means she really loves you, Bella."

"It's creepy. You shouldn't talk to those perverts anymore."

"Shut up, Mike. You don't get to tell me with whom I can be friends or not. What do you know about what's romantic?" Jessica snarled at him. "If you don't leave Bella and Alice alone I swear I'm going to make the rest of this school year a nightmare for you."

"How would you do that?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Don't forget that I know things about you that you wouldn't want others to know."

xxxx

Charles Evenson felt the sweat pouring down his forehead despite the air-conditioning in his car. He was nervous. This was his only chance and he didn't want to mess it up. His quivering hand lifted the flask to his dry lips. The alcohol was helping to calm his nerves a bit. Then he stepped out of the car and walked towards the wooden gate of the kindergarten. The teacher was busy with two little girls that were having a fight over a pair of skates.

This was going to be easy. Evenson smirked. He saw the red hair of his son shining in the sunlight like a polished penny. Edward looked so much like his mother. It was pure torture for Charles to look at him. Soon, he thought. Soon, the bitch was going to pay for leaving him.

"Hello, boy, come over here. I want to show you something."

The boy looked up and shook his head.

"Don't be like that." Evenson told him. "I need someone to help me with my puppy. It hurt his paw in a glass shard."

"Oh," Eddie whispered. Maybe the man wasn't so bad after all. He was a stranger and his parents had told Eddie over and over again that he wasn't allowed to talk to strangers. They could be evil. But people who took care of their puppy couldn't be bad, right?

"Please." Evenson whispered. "You just need to hold him while I put a bandage on the paw. You're strong enough to hold a puppy, aren't you?"

The next minutes passed in a flash. Eddie followed Evenson to his car and then he felt something sharp smelling against his face. It made him feel dizzy. Charles wrapped duct tape around the kid's wrists and ankles before he repeated the same on his mouth. A deep, guttural chuckle left his throat when he drove off again.

He pulled out his cell and dialed the number of the local hospital.

"How may I help you?" the friendly receptionist greeted him politely.

"My name is Evenson. I'd like to speak to my wife, please. Her name is Dr. Platt."

"One moment, please." she murmured, putting him on hold. Her eyes flickered to the post-it on the left side of her laptop screen. Dr. Cullen had told her to contact him immediately should someone named Evenson call to ask for Dr. Platt. It seemed to take forever until the doctor finally picked up.

"Yes, please?"

"Dr. Cullen, this is Maggie Barnes speaking. You said I should let you know if a Mr. Evenson asks for Dr. Platt."

"I'm all ears." Carlisle said, sitting up a bit straighter in his chair.

"I've got him on the phone. He says he's her husband and wants to speak with her."

"Dr. Platt is in surgery. You can put that man through to me. I'll speak to him."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

Carlisle cleared his throat, trying to prepare himself mentally for the upcoming conversation.

"You're keeping me waiting, bitch?"

"This is hardly an appropriate way to speak about the mother of your child."

"Who, the fuck, are you?" Evenson snarled into the receiver.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen. I suggest that you stick to the restraining order your ex-wife has sued out. As far as I know you aren't even allowed to try contacting her."

"You know shit. Well, anyway. Tell my wife, I have something that both of you would probably like to get back in one piece."


	33. Chapter 33

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Thanks for all your love. It feels good to know that someone cares about you. I'm still sick but writing is distracting me from the pain and it makes me feel better. Let's see what Bella and Alice are up to. Shall we?

****33****

"You're distracting me." Alice mumbled, turning her head to kiss Bella's mouth again. "I can't concentrate when you keep on doing that."

Bella smiled against Alice's lips before she pulled back with a soft sigh. "A little distraction won't do any harm. We've already been studying here for two hours."

"You're going to lose your patience with me soon. I'm holding you back."

Alice flipped through the book in front of her and tossed it aside. There was no way she was going to memorize all the stuff she had missed. Maybe if she hadn't ditched so much school during her last year in Biloxi it wouldn't be that bad now. The faint memories of the torturous months of bullying send a feeling of bitterness to her heart.

"Hey, look at me. You're not going to fail. I believe in you." Bella stated. She had noticed how tensed Alice was and was determined to help her relax a bit.

"Close your eyes." she whispered. "I'm going to give you a neck massage."

With warm fingers Bella started to caress the skin on Alice's neck in slow circles.

"If I fail, will you still be my girlfriend?"

"You're not going to fail."

"But what if I do?"

"It makes me sad that you think I would break up with you because of something unimportant like school. If you fail, you'll try again next year. It's not the end of the world."

"That's easy to say for you. You're a genius."

"I'm far from that. Hey, have you decided what you want to do to re-celebrate your birthday? If you want a party we need to start planning."

"Parties are fun. We don't have to invite Mike to it, do we?"

"It's your birthday party. So, you get to choose whom you want to be there."

"Jessica can come. She surprised me so much with her reaction. I hadn't expected her to be so positive about us being together."

"Jess is okay. She just tends to gossip a bit too much. I'm sure by tomorrow the entire school will know about us."

Alice didn't know how she was supposed to feel about this news. She was deeply in love with Bella but she was scared that someone would start picking on them because they were a couple now.

"Alice, please, you need to tell me what you think."

"I'm a bit worried." Alice admitted eventually. "Not everyone is going to like the fact that we're together."

"I know. But you and I, we're right for each other. That's why we need to fight for our love."

Alice turned around and straddled Bella's lap. She rubbed her nose up between the valley of Bella's breasts.

"I love you."

"I love you, Alice. Please, stop worrying that much all the time. It's not good for you."

"Kay, I try to not worry anymore."

"Good."

Bella's hand moved underneath Alice's top to stroke over the small roundness of Alice's breasts. They fit perfectly into Bella's hands and she massaged them, tugging gently on their sensitive peaks until she felt Alice getting hard underneath her.

"We can't do this here."

"Says who? I've fantasized about making love to you up here since the first time we've been here together."

"Bella, we can't. I don't have a condom."

"There's a lot of things we can do that don't require you wearing a condom." Bella told Alice, lowering her hand between Alice's thighs. She pushed down the girl's underwear in a quick movement. Her fingers found the bare outer lips that were already wet with arousal. She pushed just the tip of her middle finger inside. Alice was so tight here. Maybe it was because they usually didn't pay that much attention to Alice's female parts.

"Does this feel good for you?" Bella asked, trusting a bit deeper inside of Alice.

"Yes," Alice groaned. "More, please."

Bella added a second finger and a soft cry left Alice's lips.

"Too much? I don't want to hurt you."

"It feels good. Just try to go a bit slower. Can you do that?"

Alice's fingers closed around her throbbing shaft. The combined sensation of having Bella's fingers inside her while she stroked herself was incredible. She was already dangerously close to coming all over herself when Bella lowered her mouth and sucked eagerly on the tip of Alice's penis.

The climax ripped through Alice, the feeling intensified by the heat of Bella's mouth around her. Bella swallowed and pulled back with a moan.

"I love you. All of you."

"You don't have to swallow me. That must be gross for you."

"It's not. I like how you taste. I like how you feel inside my mouth the moment before you come."

Bella pulled out a tissue to clean up Alice before she helped her to rearrange her clothes.

"It's getting late." Bella stated. "We should probably go home now before our parents decide to send the cops for us."

xxxx

Carlisle's nerves were blank. He was sitting between his sobbing wife and his crying lover on the couch and listened to the concerned voice of the police officers sitting across from them.

"I want my baby back." Renee croaked. "If that man wants money we're going to give it to him."

"Ma'am, I don't think Charles Evenson hijacked the boy for financial reasons."

"You're right." Esme whispered. She cleaned her nose and sighed deeply. "Charles doesn't think like that. He took the boy because he wants to hurt me with that."

The phone started ringing and after exchanging a look with the police officers Carlisle picked up. They had instructed him that it was essential to keep the caller at least one full minute on the line to be able to track him down.

"Hello." Carlisle said, turning the call on loudspeaker so that the others could hear Evenson too.

"I want to talk to my wife." Evenson snarled into the receiver.

"And I want to talk to my son. Give him to me."

"You don't have a son. The little red-head is my kid."

Esme placed her hand on Carlisle's and made him hand over the phone to her.

"Charles, please, let the boy go. You're frightening him."

"Nice to hear you again, bitch."

"Charles, please. You are going to get arrested for this."

"Fuck you, Esme. Can't you see I'm doing all of this just for you?"

He disconnected the call and the police offer cursed through his teeth. "57 seconds. Damn it"

Esme sobbed. All of this was her fault. Charles would get angry and do what knows what kind of sick things to the poor child. If she only knew what to do, if she only knew—

"Please, stop crying. You need to stay calm." Carlisle told her, making her sit down next to Renee again.

"Dr. Platt, do you have any idea where your ex-husband could have brought the boy? Any hint, no matter how small could be helping us to find them."

"I don't know where he is. Charles and I didn't have any contact since the divorce."

"But you must remember something!" Renee screamed. "I want my son back. Oh, please, please I just want my son back. He's just five. He's never been away from home and now he's with this lunatic."

The front door opened and Bella and Alice found themselves greeted by a grim looking police officer and their desperate parents.

"What happened? Mom, what's wrong?"

"He got kidnapped. I can't believe Evenson managed to take the child in the light of the day."

"Eddie! Oh my god, Mom."

"I want to press charges against this incompetent person who dares to call himself a kindergarten teacher." Carlisle stated, running his hands nervously through his hair.

"Carlisle, we have other things to worry about now." Renee said. "Bella and Alice, your brother has been kidnapped by Charles Evenson."

"That sick bastard. We're going to find him, Mom. The police are going to find him."

"We're trying our best, Miss."

The officer stood up and cleared his throat. "Maybe your wife and Dr. Platt would like to have something for their nerves. Both of them seem very agitated."

"I'm not agitated at all! I want my son back! I want, I want!" Renee sobbed desperately.

"Sir, you can leave now. You can track the calls Evenson is making from the police station too, right?"

"Alright, Dr. Cullen, should we sent over a shrink to—,"

"My wife doesn't need tranquilizers. All she needs is for you to find our son and bring him safely home to us."

The police left and Bella guided her mother inside the kitchen to prepare a tea for her. She and Alice felt terribly helpless for being unable to do anything.

Alice sat down on the couch and took Esme's hand in hers to squeeze it. "You're worried too. I know. Maybe even more because you know how that man is like."

"Esme, please, you need to try to remember something. Places you've been with him. Where does he like to go when he wants to be alone?" Carlisle asked her.

"I don't know." Esme whispered barely audible. "He likes fishing. Sometimes he used to go fishing on a boat."

xxxx

"Dad, you need to help us." Bella told Charlie as soon as he picked up. "Eddie has been kidnapped."

"He's been what? Where is your mother? Is she okay?"

"Mom is going to lose it. She's sitting downstairs in the kitchen and cries."

"You need to give me the name of the police officer who is handling the case. I'll speak to that man."

"Yes, Dad, I'll do that. We're all so worried about Eddie. What if the man hurts him?"

"Does he want money?"

"No. It's complicated. Evenson, the man who kidnapped Eddie, he's his birth father."

"Shit. See, that's why I told Renee, that adoption, is not a good idea."

"Dad, please tell me what to do. I need to do something. If I just sit around and wait, I'll go crazy."

"Breathe, Bells. Everything is going to be okay. That man won't hurt the boy."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

I'm not, Charlie thought. But when he spoke up again there wasn't the slightest hint of doubt in his voice. "I just know how sick-minded people like this Evenson think like."

Bella texted Charlie the contact information of the police and went back to check on her mother again.

"Mom, your tea is getting cold. You should drink it."

"Do you think he's going to give Eddie something to eat?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm sure he will."

Bella hugged Renee before she walked into the living room. There she wrapped her arms tightly around Alice and whispered into her ear.

"I'm so scared."

"So am I. I can't stop staring at the phone. What if he doesn't call again?"

"Don't say something like this, Alice." Carlisle pleaded. "Evenson is going to call again."

The phone started ringing and when Carlisle picked up he was surprised to have his wife's ex-husband on the phone instead of Evenson.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen. Can I speak to Renee?"

"You can talk to me. My wife is not feeling very well right now."

"I didn't go to some fancy med school like you but I assure you that this is completely normal for a woman in her situation."

"How do you already know of the kidnapping?"

"Bella called me. My kid is smart. Now, listen. The guy is going to call you again soon. He's desperate and has little to lose."

"I know."

"When he calls you're going to tell him that the kid is sick and needs some medication."

"But Eddie is not sick."

"Are you fucking stupid? You're a doctor. Just make something up and tell him that the boy needs medication. You need to convince him to let someone bring the medication to wherever he has the boy. This is probably your only chance."

"Okay," Carlisle breathed. "I will do that."

"Great. Now, you can give the phone to Renee. I'm better with calming her down than you are."


	34. Chapter 34

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Hugs to those of you who are still with me now; Thanks for being by my side. I cherish your love for my work here.

****34****

Charles Evenson was a man who hadn't been born on the sunny side of life. He was ambitious though and possessed an inborn intelligence. On the other side he was haunted by horrible rage attacks. It didn't take long for him to lose his temper.

Swallowing back the urge to slam his fist against something, something different than the little boy in front of him, he stepped back.

"Stop crying. Boys don't cry. Don't you know that?"

Eddie sniffed back his snort. "I want my Mommy. Please call her to pick me up. Please!"

"Keep your mouth shut. My head is hurting from all the crying."

Evenson stood up from the folding chair he had been sitting on and grabbed the prepaid cell from the table.

His nerves were blank. The hatred inside him was throbbing in his chest. She had left him. How could Esme even dare to do such a thing?

With quivering fingers he dialed the phone number of the Cullen's house again and waited for someone to pick up.

Esme's voice was the same, nervous whisper that he remembered. He still had power over her. Nothing could put that away from him.

"Charles, please, you need to bring Eddie back. I beg on you."

"You're not in the position to tell me what to do, bitch."

There was some murmuring in the background that Evenson couldn't really understand. Then Esme was back on the phone.

"He's sick and needs his medication. If he doesn't get it, he's going to get seizures."

"Is this a trick? The boy looks pretty fine to me."

"Eddie has some form of epilepsy. Why do you think it was the family of a doctor who adopted him? He's a kid with special needs."

Evenson looked over to the crying child in the corner of the room. Maybe he should just wait until something happened. He didn't want to risk it though. What use would the kid be as a cripple or even worse dead?

"Please, let someone bring his medication to you." Esme pleaded.

He snored into the receiver. "Fine, get the medicine here. But you're the one who is going to bring it here and no one else."

xxxx

Esme Platt had often thought about what it would like to die. She didn't believe in the existence of things like heaven and hell but she was convinced there had to be something afterwards. This life couldn't be everything.

Inside the back of the police car Carlisle squeezed her hand in the darkness. There was so much between them that was still unspoken. But now was not the time.

The police officer parked the car a bit further away from the address of the empty freight house Evenson had given to Esme over the phone.

"The entire area is guarded. Now, we just have to make sure to get the boy away from Evenson."

He handed Esme a medical bag with a tiny, almost invisible direction finder on top of it.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Ma'am?"

She nodded, unable to form a visible answer.

"No, don't let her go. Send me in there." Carlisle told the police officer. His throat was so tight that it was hard for him to breathe.

"My husband is right." Renee whispered lifelessly. "He or I should go in there. I'm his mother."

Esme's mouth turned into the tiniest attempt of a smile. "You're his mother, but it's me whom Charles wants. Not you."

With that she turned around and walked with fast, hard steps towards the dim-lighted brick building. She didn't even expect to make it out there alive. Police guards outside of the building, yes or no. If she could only manage to safe her son, if she could only manage to keep Eddie safe, even if it was just this one time.

The room was completely dark when she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Cha-? she called, feeling the sweaty palm of a hand against her mouth to silence her.

"How good to have you back, my wife. Now, you and I can start all over again."

With a fast turn sideward Esme manage to free herself from her ex-husband's grip.

"You and I are over." she stated calmly. "You can kill me if you want, but there is no way I'm ever getting back together with you."

He chuckled and stepped backwards to press a light switch. The brightness blinded Esme for a moment. When her eyes managed to adjust to the light she saw the tiny figure of Eddie sitting in the right corner of the room. Charles had tied his wrist against a pipe. He looked scared but at least not injured in any way.

"Do you have the medicine with you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Show it to me."

She opened the bag and held up two bottles with a brownish liquid in them.

"Good. Give it to him. But watch your steps. One wrong move and I'll break your worthless neck, you whore."

Esme pulled out an injection needle and filled it with the brownish liquid. Then she repeated the same with the second injection before she tapped against it with her fingertip.

"You need to help me a bit." She told Evenson.

"Why?"

"I need him to keep his arm still to get the right spot for the injections. Untie him."

"No. You need to it without that."

Esme sighed. This was going to be even more difficult than she had expected it to be.

"Hello Eddie. Are you okay?"

"I want my Mommy. Can you bring me to her? Please! Please!"

"I told you to keep your fucking mouth shut!" Evenson roared. "He's whiny just like you, bitch."

"I'm sorry. Eddie, you need to be still for a moment. I'm going to give you your medication. Just hold still."

"No needles! I hate needles!"

The boy started fidgeting around and kicking his feet against Esme's knee.

"See, I can't do this all by myself. Just untie his right arm and hold it."

Evenson loosened the rope around Eddie's right wrist and twisted the boy's arm around forcefully.

"Ouch! You're hurting me."

Esme cringed. She pushed the needle through the pale skin on her son's arm and sighed.

"Now, the second one, can you hold his arm a bit straighter. Yes, like this." she mumbled. With as much force as possible she thrust the needle of the second injection into Evenson's hand.

"What the fuck! You stupid whore!"

He cradled his throbbing hand against his chest. Then an overpowering feeling of nausea rippled through him. It made his legs and arms shake uncontrollable.

"What…what did you give me?"

She leaned over him and whispered into his ear. "Rat poison,"

xxxx

"Don't shoot! It's just her and the boy!" one of the police officers called out when Esme stepped outside again. Eddie was fast asleep on her shoulder as she carried him towards his sobbing adoptive mother.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you so much." Renee took the sleeping child and held him close against her chest. "Sweetie, wake up. Mommy is here. Everything is going to be okay."

She lifted the boy inside the car and cradled him back and forth.

"I'll be with you in a moment." Carlisle stated. He wrapped a blanket around Esme's shoulder and made her sit down on the ground.

"Did you give him the hypnotic?"

She nodded.

"That's good. Where is Evenson? Is he still inside?"

"Yes." Esme breathed. "But he's…he's…he…,"

"Officer Biers! The man is dead as a dodo."

There was a huge chaos and when they carried Evenson's lifeless body outside a few minutes later, Esme didn't dare to look up from the ground.

"There's going to be an autopsy." Carlisle whispered into Esme's ear. "What did you give him?"

"Nothing, just the sleep medication I gave to Eddie."

"This is not the time to tell lies."

"Rat poison," Esme whispered barely audible. "When they find that in his blood, I'll end up in jail."

"I won't let that happen." He told her. "Trust me."

xxxx

Alice wrapped her arms around Bella and stared out of the window in the kitchen. "I'm so worried. What if Evenson kills Eddie?"

"Please, don't say things like that. We need to believe that everything is going to be okay."

Bella turned around and asked Alice to sit down. "Eddie is going to be safe. I can't endure the thought of him getting hurt."

"Me too, Bella. Why didn't we know what kind of a sick fuck this bastard Evenson is?"

"I can't believe such a sweet boy is the offspring of such an evil person." Bella said.

"Renee and Dad are his parents. We are his family."

Both of the girls rushed to the door when they heard the key turning in the lock.

"Mom! Oh thank god, you have Eddie with you. What's wrong with him? Is he asleep?"

"Esme gave him some sleep medication. I'll bring Eddie upstairs. Then I'll come back down."

Bella hugged Alice and lifted her up a bit to swirl her around. "He's home. See, I told you that everything is going to be alright."

Carlisle cleared his throat and stepped inside the living room. "Hey girls."

"Dad, what happened? Did they arrest Evenson? God, I hope they lock him up for the rest of his life."

"Alice, the man is dead."

"Dead? Did the police shoot him?"

"No. It's…complicated. You should both go to bed now and try to catch some sleep."

Bella nodded and took Alice's hand to pull her with her. "Your Dad is right. Let's go to sleep. It's late."

On the top of the stairs they bumped against Renee. She had tears in her eyes. Bella hugged her mother and planted a kiss against her forehead.

"Mom, everything is going to be alright."

"I know. I'm just so relieved we got Eddie back and he's unharmed. The man is dead though. They don't really know what happened with him. Maybe he had a heart attack."

The girls told Renee good night and walked into their bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"I can't just sleep now." Alice stated. "I'm way too agitated."

"Come here. Just let me hold you. Please, don't cry."

"I can't help it. I was so worried about Eddie."

Bella hummed gently into Alice's ear while she snuggled against her girlfriend from behind.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Why do you think bad stuff happens to people?"

"I don't know. I've never thought about it." Bella admitted.

"I have. When my mother told me that she wanted me to move here, I was so furious."

"Because you didn't know what to expect?"

"I thought it would be just the same here like back home in Biloxi. But then we fell in love and everything changed."

Alice turned her head to kiss Bella's mouth. "I love you so much."

"I love you, Alice. Love changes everything."

"It can't change that I'm not like other girls. I will always be different."

Bella lifted her hand to cup Alice's cheek in her palm. "And it will never matter to me. Do you want to know what my first thought was when I saw you?"

She leaned forward and kissed Alice's upper lip very lightly. "I thought that you are the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, it made me all nervous that you were to share a room with me."

"It doesn't make you nervous anymore."

"Just because I know you love me back. You're so precious to me. I want us to be together forever."

"Forever," Alice whispered. "How long do you think forever actually is?"

"As long as we want it to be," Bella murmured tiredly. "We own forever. It doesn't own us."


	35. Chapter 35

[Disclaimer] Twilight belongs to SM

[A/N] Welcome to another update. I hope you'll enjoy.

****35****

"Please take these cupcakes away from me before I end up eating more of them." Jessica stated, rubbing her hand over her stomach. "They are just too delicious. Bella, you should consider opening your own bakery if your plans with med school don't work out."

Alice sipped on her coke and placed her hand on Bella's. "I have faith in her. Bella's grades are better than anyone else's in class."

"Yes," Jessica murmured, stuffing another strawberry frosted cupcake between her lips. "It's still so much work."

Bella nodded her head and sighed. "But it's what I want to do."

"I think it's great that you want to become a doctor." Angela said. She and Ben had finally managed to overcome their shyness and were now dating. They were a cute couple. Maybe they were a bit too nerdy but incredibly devoted and sweet with each other. Alice liked them a great deal.

"Enough with the eating now," Jess mumbled with a full mouth. "It's time for the presents."

She pulled a little box out of her handbag and held it up. "Happy late birthday, Alice."

"Thank you." Alice whispered. She wasn't comfortable with being the center of attention. This party had been Bella's idea and she had been so excited about everything that Alice didn't have the heart to slow her down.

Alice opened the box, finding a beautiful silver bracelet with two charms hanging on it. One was a little horseshoe and the other one a pair of angel wings.

"That's lovely. Thanks, Jessica."

"You're very welcome. Now, open the one from Angie and Ben."

Ben lifted a box with purple-colored wrapping paper on the table. Inside of it were a silk scarf and a book with love poems. Angela had a thing for stuff like that.

"Thanks guys." Alice whispered, hugging Angela and Ben. Her eyes filled with tears and when Bella noticed that she was close to crying she pulled her girlfriend into her arms.

"You're not allowed to cry on your birthday party, honey."

"I'm sorry. It's just…everyone is so nice to me."

"Of course we're nice to you." Jessica said. "We're your friends."

Tyler cleared his throat. "Mike is going to be pissed when he finds out he didn't get invited."

"You can tell Mike, he can try to suck his own dick." Jessica told Tyler. "But let's not talk about him. What did you get Alice?"

He grinned and pulled out a plain looking grey envelope. "I thought you might like to find something nice for you and Bella to play."

Alice's cheeks turned crimson when she ripped the envelope open and saw that Tyler had bought her a voucher for a sex-shop.

"Ahh, thanks." she mumbled, placing the voucher back into the envelope. This was embarrassing. But hadn't she and Bella discussed to buy a dildo or something like that? The thought made her insides tingle and she could feel her penis twitching inside her underwear. Don't get hard now with the others around, she thought nervously.

"It's so fucking hot today. I'm melting." Jessica said, holding up a folded sheet of paper that she used as a fan. "We should go swimming. Bells, has your stepfather finally let them fix your pool again?

"Yes. That's a great idea." Tyler agreed. "We should skinny-dip."

"You're gross." Jessica stated. "Who on earth wants to see your hairy ass? Angie, I brought two bikinis with me. You can borrow one if you want to. They gave out one for free at the mall when I picked up Ali's present."

Angela stood up from her chair. "Bella, where can we change?"

"Right here," Tyler chuckled. Ben hit him on the head and rolled his eyes.

"Idiot, grow up. Come with me. I think I got some trunks in the back of my car."

A wave of panic spread through Alice. She could feel her heart beginning to race inside her chest, making her feel unpleasantly dizzy.

_Look, Alice is a boy!_

The painful memory rushed through her head.

"I can't. I just can't." she pressed out before she rushed up the stairs to her room.

"What was that?" Angela asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Bella said. "She's just a bit overwhelmed. I check on her. Jess and Angie, you can change in the guestroom across the hall."

She took a deep breath before she followed Alice to their room. There she found her girlfriend cowering on the floor.

"Hey baby, are you okay? What's wrong with you?" Bella whispered, wrapping both arms around Alice's trembling body. "Tell me."

"I can't go swimming with you and the others. When someone would notice…oh god, just the thought makes me want to die."

"I see." Bella mumbled, pulling Alice closer against her body. "I'm sorry about that. We can tell the others that Eddie peed into the pool so that we can't use it."

"For real?"

"I'd do anything for you. I love you and don't want you to feel miserable."

Alice sniffed and reached for the box with tissues next to her. "I'm scared about people finding out my secret. It's such a burden."

"I know, my sweetheart. But I'm here for you. No one will ever hurt you again. I'll protect you."

Bella kissed away Alice's tears and when the girls walked down the stairs a few minutes later, Bella didn't let go of Alice's hand.

"I'm sorry, guys but we can't swim today."

"Why?"

"You don't want to know what our brother did in that pool. It's so gross."

"I can imagine." Angela stated "I have two little brothers."

Tyler wrinkled his nose and shrugged his shoulders. "Who cares? A little pee has never done any harm."

"That's disgusting. So, no swimming today," Jessica mumbled sadly. "At least we won't get sunburned then. God, it's so hot."

"Do you want some lemonade?" Bella asked, pulling the pitcher out of the fridge. She had barely managed to safe the drink from Renee who had insisted it needed a bit of ginger in it. Her mother's taste buds seemed to be a little weird in the last time.

"Has anyone heard what happened to Evenson?" Angela asked. "He wasn't even forty. Isn't that a bit young for getting a lethal heart attack?"

Both, Alice and Bella cringed. They had decided not to tell anyone about what had happened during the night Evenson had died. The police had stopped their investigations after the report of the autopsy had been published. According to it Charles Evenson had died from heart failure.

"Who cares?" Ben stated. "The man was a prick. I highly doubt anyone is going to miss him."

xxxx

"Did you enjoy your party?" Bella asked Alice while she braided her hair in front of the mirror. "I think it was fun. Wasn't it?"

"Yes," Alice admitted. "It was nice. Thanks for throwing it for me. No one has ever done something so nice for me."

"You're welcome. I'm just sad that the swimming thing made you so upset."

"I'm sorry. I was in panic."

Bella sighed and hopped on the bed, petting the place next to her. "Let's not talk about it anymore. I still need to give you your present."

"I thought the party was my present?"

"In a way," Bella stated. "I got you something else though. Close your eyes and give me your hand."

Alice did how she was told and Bella placed a little box in Alice' palm, flipping it open before she asked Alice to open her eyes again.

The small silver ring was beautiful and the heart-shaped amber stone on top of it sparkled underneath the light of the bedside lamp.

"This is too much."

"If you don't accept it, you're hurting my pride. I can't return it anyway because I let them put an engraving into it.

Alice turned the ring around to read the words inside the ring. All Of You it read in tiny letters.

"I love you." Alice told Bella in a tear-filled voice. "I love you so much, Bella."

"Don't cry again. I hate to see you in tears. Do we want to try if the ring fits? It's for your middle finger."

She took the ring and pushed it gently up Alice's finger. "Perfect."

"Thank you, Bella. Not just for today."

"You don't need to thank me. I love being with you." Bella whispered.

There was a loud clangor downstairs, followed by the loud voices of Renee and Carlisle yelling at each other.

A moment later, Eddie knocked on the door to Bella and Alice's room and rushed in. "Mommy and Daddy are fighting. I'm scared."

"It's okay, sweetie." Bella told him "Sometimes adults fight. You can stay here with Alice. I'll go downstairs and make sure they don't hurt each other."

On her way down Bella heard her mother sobbing loudly in the kitchen. Crap, this was bad. Renee was so fucking emotional in the last time.

"Mom, is everything okay with you?"

"Bella, go to your room. I need to talk to your mother alone."

"You two are so loud that you woke up Eddie with your yelling. What is wrong?"

"Nothing,"

"God, damn it, Carlisle, I'm not five like Eddie. Why are you fighting so much that you start throwing around with plates?"

"That was an accident." Carlisle stated, kneeling down to pick up the pieces of broken glass. "I shouldn't have raised my voice like that."

"Carlisle, please, I'm sorry. It didn't mean anything and it was just one time. I swear."

He fisted his hand into his hair before he grabbed the last piece of glass from the ground.

"Your mother is pregnant."

"She's what?" Bella gasped. "Mom, that's great. Why are you crying about that?"

"It's not. The baby…it's not from your stepdad." Renee explained. "Look, Carlisle, I get that you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad. I don't know what I am right now. Who? I want to know the man's name. Tell me."

"I can't tell you who he is. That would make everything worse."

"Tell me, Renee before I make you! I'm your husband and have a right to know."

"Stop yelling at her. Mom, please stop crying. That's not good for the baby."

"I'm sorry." Carlisle croaked. "I need to get out of here."

He grabbed his car keys and rushed outside, slamming the front door behind him.

"Oh my god," Renee sobbed. "What have I done?"

"Mom, it's okay. Try to calm down. Everyone makes mistakes. That's what makes us human."

"I'm an idiot. I mean, this is not my first pregnancy. I should have known the signs."

"Are you keeping it?"

Renee nodded and sniffed several times until Bella handed her a tissue. "This is going to ruin my marriage. Divorced twice, can it get any worse?"

"Carlisle is going to forgive you and if he doesn't—then, he's just not worth it."

"I'm more worried about you and your siblings. Eddie is such a sensitive child. I don't want him to suffer because I fucked up so badly."

"What's done is done. I don't want you and Carlisle to get a divorce but if you can't sort things out with each other, maybe, it's better that way."

Alice walked down the stairs, trying to balance Eddie on her hip. "Is everything okay? Where is Dad?"

"He went for a walk." Bella stated. "Please, put Eddie down. He's too heavy to be carried around like a baby."

"Mommy, are you sad because you and Daddy had a fight?" the kid asked, hugging his mother.

"It's okay, sweetie. You should go back to bed. Bella, can you bring him to his room?"

"Sure, Mom, no problem. Eddie, come with me."

When he and Bella walked out Alice turned to Renee. "You look horrible. Dad shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I know he has a temper sometimes."

"Your dad has every right to be angry." Renee stated. "I'm pregnant and it's not from him."

"I don't understand."

"I don't understand it myself. How could I have let this happen?"


	36. Chapter 36

[Disclaimer] Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome to another update and thanks for reading my story.

****36***

"You need to calm down." Esme stated, while she leaned back against the couch in her apartment. It felt odd to have Carlisle here with her. Like this place was their dirty, little love nest now. She had never considered the possibility of falling for a married man. It made her feel cheap. He was making her feel cheap and she hated that more than anything. They couldn't go on like this. Something needed to change and it needed to happen sooner than later.

"She's pregnant. What would you consider to be an appropriate reaction to such news?"

Esme sighed and poured a bit more wine into Carlisle's glass. "You're still in love with her. I should have known."

"No," Carlisle croaked. "It's not like that. I'm just so…so,"

"The word you're looking for is jealous, Carlisle. Why would you be jealous if you didn't still have feelings for your wife? Not that I have a right to blame you for it. I'm just the _other_ woman."

Carlisle took a big gulp from his drink. The alcohol was helping a bit to calm down his nerves. Was he really jealous? He cared for Renee but the feelings were more of a platonic nature. They got along but the two of them were just so incredibly different. What he felt for Esme was so much more. He had never believed it to be possible to feel so much for a woman.

"Is she going to keep the child?"

"I think so. Renee always wanted to have more kids. It's my fault we don't have any."

"Vasectomies are reversible." Esme stated.

"Not in my case. Don't you think I've considered that option? We've even considered a donor. There's a long road down on the way to adoption."

Esme nodded. "Now, I get it. You're not jealous because she cheated on you. What makes you so angry is that another man was able to give her what you couldn't. Is this some kind of male pride problem here?"

"Yes…no…maybe you're right."

"You see, it would be pretty hypocritical to be angry at Renee for cheating. What you're doing with me. How would you call that?"

"It's complicated." He breathed. "It's so goddamn complicated."

"It's not. Buck up. Tell your wife that your marriage isn't working anymore. A divorce is not the end of the world."

She grabbed his glass and pushed it away. "You should go home now, Carlisle."

"Esme, please, I can't drive anymore after the wine I had."

"Good, then tomorrow. But you're going to sleep on the couch. I'm tired of being your whore."

xxxx

When Bella walked down the stairs the next morning her mother was sitting in the kitchen. Renee's eyes were red. She had cried herself to sleep last night. This was the first time her husband hadn't come home an entire night. Carlisle was going to hate her for the rest of his life.

"Mom, you look horrible."

"I'm okay, kid. I'm okay. I got what I deserve. Can you do me a favor and take your brother to the park or something? I don't want him to see me like this."

Bella hugged Renee before she went upstairs to wake up Alice and Eddie. The girls decided to take the boy out for breakfast. Should they find a place where they could get soy milk and other vegetarian food for him.

When they entered a coffee shop a bit later, Eddie rushed toward the table where Jake and his Dad were sitting.

"Hey, Jake." Bella greeted him. "How's your puppy?"

"The thing is over forty pounds now." Jake's father mumbled "It's going to be calf-sized in a few months."

"Can I come and visit it?" Eddie pleaded. "Please, Jake, please."

"Maybe," the black-haired little boy stated. "But only when you are nice to me."

"I'm always nice. What's that you're eating there?"

"Hash browns and bacon. You should try it."

"Yuck! Bacon is from pigs. They are cute. How can you eat them?"

Jake grinned and stuffed another slice of bacon into his mouth. "It tastes good. Try some."

"No, I can't do that. You are so mean for eating animals. You're not a wolf that needs meat." Eddie whispered.

"Maybe I am a wolf. How would you know?" Jake teased him. "This tastes so yummy."

Eddie's green eyes watered and Bella quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him with her to the other side of the café.

"I hate Jake."

"You need to stop letting him provoke you. Please, don't cry. No tears, Eddie. If you cry now, Alice and I will bring you home again."

"But I feel bad for the pig. It wouldn't want to end up in Jake's stomach. And he's not a wolf. I'd know that."

Alice hugged him and placed the menu in front of him. "What do you want to eat, little lion?"

"Waffles. There's no animals in waffles, right?"

"Right," Bella stated. "Waffles sound great. We should all have some. Do you want some juice? They make if fresh here."

While they waited for their order to arrive, Alice played with the ring on her finger. It wasn't an engagement ring. She and Bella were still too young for that. But a ring was a ring nonetheless. It was so beautiful. Bella really loved her.

"Pretty ring." Eddie commented, slurping his orange juice.

"Yes, sweetie. Bella got it for me for my birthday. That was very nice of her, wasn't it?"

The boy nodded his head. Bella reached her hand out to Alice's and caressed her girlfriend's hand. "I'm happy that you like it."

"I love it. But you shouldn't have spent so much money on me."

Bella's cell started vibrating loudly in her handbag and she pulled it out to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Bells, it's just me. I wanted to know if everything is okay with you after the whole kidnapping drama."

"Charlie! I mean, Dad. Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"How's Renee?"

"Okay." Bella murmured. "She's okay, Dad."

"That doesn't sound very convinced. What's wrong? Are the police still investigating? They are only doing their job. There's no need to be nervous.

"I know. Officer Biers has told us that he offered you a job down here for helping them track down Evenson."

"Bells, you know I like it here in Forks. What would I do there in Florida?"

"Maybe you're just too old to start something new. Am I right?"

"No, you're not. I just like my job the way it is. The money he offered was good though. This Biers sounds like a pretty reasonable man to me."

"Yes, he's okay I guess."

"Now, tell me what's up with your mother. She's not blaming herself for what happened, is she?"

"No."

"Bells, can you give me an answer that's longer than one word?"

Bella covered the receiver with her palm and sighed. "I'll be right back. Charlie is too fucking curious."

She walked outside and leaned against a bench in front of the café.

"If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't make a comment."

"I try to. You should know that."

"Okay, if you say so. Mom and Carlisle had an ugly fight last night."

"About what? The kidnapping?"

"No, it doesn't have to do with that. Dad, she's pregnant and the baby is not from Carlisle. This is really, really bad."

"Pregnant?" Charlie repeated. "Are you sure? How far is she?"

"I don't know, a few weeks maybe? Mom went to see a doctor. She's so miserable. Carlisle is probably going to divorce her now."

"She's pregnant. Renee is pregnant. She's pregnant."

"Dad, are you even listening to me? Mom and Carlisle are getting divorced. I don't think he's going to forgive her for that."

xxxx

"Where are the girls?" Carlisle asked Renee when he entered the house. He had been driving around since the early hours of the morning, trying to brave himself for the unpleasant conversation with his wife.

Renee grabbed another tissue from the box next to her and cleaned her nose.

"I asked Bella to take Eddie outdoors for a while. I don't want the boy to see me like this."

"You look bad. Have you been crying the entire night?"

"What does it matter? I'm the evil cheater here. I deserve your hate."

Carlisle shook his head. Then he sat down next to Renee and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It was rude."

"You were jealous. I understand."

He nodded. "I was…but not in the way you think I was. I'm jealous because this other man was able to give you a child. I know how much you wanted to have another kid."

"Carlisle, we've talked about this again and again. I never understood why you decided to have the vasectomy. I do now. You were scared that you could father another child who's like Alice. That's the reason, isn't it? Well, it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. We can't turn back the time. That's impossible."

"No one can do that. Look, there is something I need to tell you. I should have told you weeks ago but I was a coward."

"Tell me what?"

He took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "I've fallen in love with somebody else. It's not just a sex thing. I care for her. I care a lot."

"With whom have you fallen in love with? Oh let me guess, it's one of the nurses you work with. Am I right?"

"You're quite close. It's…it's Esme, Dr. Platt. You can yell at me now, if you want to. I deserve it."

Renee raised her hand and Carlisle didn't even flinch when she slapped him.

"Get out of my eyes! Pack your shit and leave this house. I don't want to see you anymore!"

"Renee, please, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I've tried to fight my feelings but—"

"You don't have any feelings at all! I don't give a shit whether you are sorry or not! I hate you! God, I hate you so much!" Renee yelled at him. She stood up from her chair and bucked forward with a loud whimper. "Aaahhhhg! Oh fuck, why does this hurt so much?"

She collapsed on the kitchen floor and pressed her hands against her abdomen.

"Don't touch me." she snarled when Carlisle kneeled down next to her. "I hate you. Ouch…oh…ouch."

"You can still hate me after I've checked on you. Do you have cramps?"

"Yes." Renee whimpered. "It hurts."

"How bad are they?"

"Like bad period pains, maybe a bit stronger."

"Can you try to stand up again? Slowly. Be careful. I'll help you."

"Am I going to lose the child?" Renee whispered anxiously as Carlisle wrapped his arm around her middle to help her up. "Please, I don't want to lose this baby."

"I don't know yet whether you're going to have a miscarriage. We should get you to the hospital as soon as possible though."


	37. Chapter 37

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome to the end of my little story here. A big thank you goes out to every one of my readers who has been so incredibly supportive; especially those of you who have been with me from the very start. You are amazing. Thank you.

What's up next? I've been dealing with some health issues lately that I need to take care of first. Unfortunately that also means a little break from writing. I'm very sorry about that.

After that, when my health is hopefully better, I'm planning on signing up for _**Camp NaNoWriMo**_ for April. The story for that project is going to be called _**Four Hearts**_.

Anyway enough with my rambling and on with the story down there. I hope you'll enjoy it.

****37****

Bella leaned her head against Alice's shoulder. "Are you sad about the divorce?"

"In a way, I am." Alice whispered. She cuddled closer against Bella and planted several kisses on her girlfriend's neck.

"We're not going to be stepsisters anymore when they get the divorce." Bella stated. "I actually think that's a good thing."

"But Dad and Renee are so mad at each other. It's like they suddenly hate the other one. Why do things like this happen?"

"I don't know. Sometimes adults are idiots. We should try to focus on us and our own plans for the future."

Alice nodded. She interlaced the fingers of her left hand with Bella's and lifted them to her lips to kiss them gently. They would never end up like their parents. Lying and hating each other. Alice would do anything to prevent such a thing to happen.

"I love you." Bella whispered. "I'm so glad to have you. Without you I couldn't endure all the chaos around us. You're like my security blanket."

They kissed. Slow at first. It was still making them nervous to show their affection for one another so openly in a public place like the park. It made Alice feel awkward when people snarled comments about them. She was trying to ignore this though.

"Dad has agreed to give me the money for my…I mean for our apartment." Alice told Bella. "I've got some pictures on my phone. Do you want to see them?"

"Sure." Bella said. "I can't believe Carlisle is going to pay for our place."

Alice frowned. "If you ask me, he only did it out of defiance. That's just another pissing contest between him and Charlie."

"Maybe, you're right. I can't believe my parents are hooking up again. When I was a little girl, that was my biggest wish."

Alice nodded. The last few months had been chaotic. Her Dad hadn't taken the news well when he had found out it was Charlie who had gotten Renee pregnant. One ugly word had led to the other and now both of their parents were only talking to each other through their lawyers.

"I'm worried about Eddie. He's too young to understand all of this."

"Well, he's still going to see Carlisle regularly. The kid will get used to having two homes now instead of one."

Bella cupped Alice's chin in her palm. "I can't wait for our own home. It's just one more week until we're moving away. I'm so excited."

A quick glimpse on her watch showed Bella that it was time for them to go home now.

When she opened the door, she cringed slightly. It was so weird to have her parents living under one roof again.

"Hi Girls," Charlie greeted them. "How's it going?"

He was trying to put a baby mobile together while Eddie hopped up and down on the chair next to him, eager to help like usually. Charlie was good with handling the kid. You had to give him credit for that.

"We're doing great. I can't wait to move to Chicago though."

"I don't like the idea of you moving so far away all by yourself. Are you going to live in the dorms there?"

"No," Alice said. "My father is going to pay for our apartment. It's close to the campus though."

Charlie rubbed his thumb over the place where his moustache had been up until last week. Renee had made him shave it off. Who was he to argue with a pregnant woman?

"Bells, I don't want you to accept money from that jerk. If anyone is going to pay for the place where you and Alice are going to live, it'll be me."

"Dad, please. Not that again. It doesn't matter who of you pays for our apartment. I'd rather have Mom and Carlisle talk to each other again."

"Give them some time. Divorces are ugly. When your mother and I got divorced I didn't talk to her in over two years."

Alice walked over to the fridge to pull a bottle of diet coke out of it.

"Eddie, do you want to eat something?"

"Charlie and I had sandwiches." The boy stated. Then he turned to Bella's father "Can I put the glue on now? Please!"

"Yep, you can." Charlie mumbled. "Right here, don't use too much. Yes, this is enough. Thanks for helping me."

Eddie smiled proudly.

"You need to wash your hands. Alice, can you take him upstairs and make sure he doesn't touch anything? It would suck if the kid ends up glued to the stairs or somewhere."

When Alice and Eddie were out of sight Bella sighed deeply.

"Is everything okay, Bells?" Charlie asked, taking a sip from the can of beer next to him.

"It's nothing."

"You need to stop pretending that everything is fine when it's not. Tell me what's going on in your head."

"Why do people end up hating each other when they've been in love once?"

"You mean because of your mother and your stepdad?"

"For example," Bella stated. "Or you and her."

"Bells, I don't really want to interfere with your mother's second marriage. Both of them have made mistakes. This is what people do. They fuck up."

"But you and mom are together again. How can you be sure that things are going to work out this time?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't. Love is always a risk. Moving down here was a risk. Having this child is a risk. But some things are just worth to risk them."

xxxx

"Come here." Alice whispered. "You're so tensed. Let me give you a massage."

"Yes, please." Bella groaned. "I feel like all my muscles are sore from packing up all our shit."

"Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"I'm a bit too exhausted right now to be excited but yes, I'm excited or more like nervous."

Alice sighed and leaned over Bella's shoulder to plant a kiss on her mouth. "Don't have to be. It's going to be wonderful in Chicago. I just know it."

Bella closed her eyes. She enjoyed how Alice started to knead the tensed muscles in her neck before she slowly moved her hands a bit lower.

"I want us to be together forever."

"We will be together forever. Do you want to know why?" Alice asked, standing up from the mattress. "Because you love me the way I am and don't want me to change."

"Yes." Bella whispered. "I will always love you."

She reached down to search for the box under the bed and opened it. "I'm glad we don't need the condoms anymore."

"You didn't need to get on the pill. I don't like the idea of you taking artificial hormones. That can't be healthy."

"It's okay. I just want us to be safe. I don't feel like sharing you with a little rugrat yet."

"You're right." Alice mumbled. Then she grabbed the plastic bag inside the box and pulled out the silver-colored plastic dildo. Buying the toy had been one of her most embarrassing experiences in her life. But now she was eager to test it with Bella. How would that feel like to have the dildo inside of her? Would it hurt?

"I'd love to know what is going on in that pretty little head of yours. " Bella stated, taking the toy from her girlfriend's hands. "Do you want to test it? Tonight?"

"Yes," Alice mouthed, before she sat down on Bella's lap. She gently pushed her down onto the soft pillows underneath her. "You'll be careful with me. Right?"

"Always," Bella promised. "I want to make you feel good."

She pushed Alice's top up and circled her thumb over the rosy tips of her breasts. "You're so beautiful. Does it feel good when I do this?" she asked, rubbing the pebbled nipple a bit harder.

"Yes…this is good. Keep going."

Their mouths found each other in a hungry kiss that barely managed to suppress the moans. It was a good thing they were alone in the house tonight. Renee and Charlie had taken Eddie to the wedding rehearsal of Emmett and Rosalie. Why would someone need a rehearsal for a wedding anyway?

Piece by piece of the girls clothing ended up in a messy pile next to the bed. It was then that Alice noticed that the mirror in the corner of the room was turned towards the bed now.

"What are you looking at?" Bella asked, lowering her hand to Alice's pulsing erection.

"Just us," Alice said, pointing towards the mirror. Bella raised her head and blushed when she saw her own naked reflection.

Alice laughed. "Do you like to watch us?"

"Maybe,"

"I think you do." Alice stated, letting her fingers glide down Bella's abdomen. When she reached the small stripe of dark curls and lowered her hand a bit, she felt slick wetness on her fingertip.

"I want to taste you. Lie back."

Bella whimpered and parted her legs. The feeling of Alice's velvety tongue against her clit was amazing. Alice's movements got faster and faster, making Bella rock her hips greedily against the mouth on her pussy. She was going to come. It wouldn't be long.

"Alice…oh…god Alice, please, I want you inside me when I come. Please, baby, I need you so much."

Alice groaned and parted Bella's legs a bit further. She rubbed the head of her hard erection against the slick folds for a few moments, coating herself in Bella's arousal. Then she pushed inside. Without the barrier of the condom the heat and tightness felt even better to her.

For a moment she felt like she was going to come right now. It was just too much sensation.

Her fingers reached down to stroke Bella above the spot where their bodies were connected with each other. Bella's inner muscles tightened and when Alice thrust forward for the next time both of them reached the peak of their lust.

"Don't move. Let's just lie so for a moment." Bella whispered breathlessly.

After a while Alice rolled down from her, planting a row of open mouthed kisses down Bella's throat.

"I want you to use the toy on me now. Please, Bella."

Bella grabbed the toy and rubbed her fingers up and down the plastic shaft. She stroked gently over Alice's outer lips, carefully making sure that she was wet enough for her to put the toy inside.

"Try to keep breathing deeply. I'll do it slow."

With that she pushed the head of the toy inside of Alice, instantly stopping when she felt her girlfriend cramp.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to stop?" Bella asked, stopping her movements. "We don't have to do this, if it's uncomfortable for you."

Alice shook her head. "No, keep going. I want this."

Bella leaned down to touch her lips very lightly against Alice's mouth while she continued moving the toy back and forth going a tiny bit deeper with every thrust. Eventually the wet glistening dildo was fully inside of Alice. She whimpered. It felt strange to her to be filled like this. The pain was sharp. It was almost too much. Did it feel like this for Bella when she was inside of her?

"Is it still painful for you?"

"A bit," Alice croaked, surprised that she was able to form words at all. "Does it hurt you too when I'm in you?"

"No, only the first time. Now, it just feels wonderful." Bella told Alice while she twisted the base of the dildo between her hands. "Maybe you need a bit distraction. Let me…," Bella murmured. She lowered her head and licked teasingly slow over the head of Alice's hard length.

"God, Bella." Alice moaned while Bella sucked her penis between her warm lips. Alice's inner muscles relaxed a bit. After a few moments she could feel her climax beginning to build. Her toes curled, her heartbeat stopped for a second and then the sweetest relief possible washed over Alice.

"I love you." Bella whispered, pulling the toy carefully out of Alice to place it next to them on the bed. "You and I, we belong together forever."

xxxx

"I don't want you to move." Eddie stated, his little face turning into a frown. "Mom, tell Bella she needs to stay here with us."

Renee tried to kneel down next to him without losing her balance. It wasn't easy for her with the baby bump.

"Your sisters are big girls now. They can't stay here. But if they move out, it means you get their room. It's bigger than your old one."

"Can we paint it blue?"

"Sure, we can." Charlie stated, lifting another suitcase into the trunk of the rental car. "We can do it next weekend."

Then he turned to Bella and hugged her. "You girls take care of each other, okay?"

"Yes, Dad,"

"I got a present for you. Promise me that you'll carry that with you when you walk somewhere after dark."

He pulled out a can with pepper spray and handed it to Bella. Should I show you how it works?"

"No, thanks, I think I already know that."

Carlisle's car stopped in front of the house and Renee's face turned into a hard mask. She and her soon-to-be ex-husband still weren't on best terms with each other.

"You're still here. I thought we'd be too late to tell you goodbye."

"You are late." Renee snarled. "But I already knew you wouldn't make it here on time."

"Mommy, are you angry at Daddy?" Eddie asked, tugging on the sleeve of his mother's shirt.

"No, sweetie, I'm not. Come on now. Tell your sisters goodbye."

Bella lifted him up and pressed her forehead against his. "You need to take care of Mom for me while I'm gone. Will you do that for me?"

He nodded.

"Can I get a kiss for goodbye?" Bella asked, already knowing the answer.

"No yucky kissies. You can kiss Alice. She likes it."

Alice hugged Bella from behind and stroked over Eddie's copper head. "Good bye, little lion. We will miss."

"I'll miss you too. I don't want you to go."

"I know."

"Come with me, Eddie. We'll see if there's any more ice-cream hidden in the fridge." Charlie stated. He petted Bella's shoulder again and walked inside the house, pulling the boy with him.

"He's letting the boy eat too much candy." Carlisle grumbled.

"Carlisle, please don't start another fight." Esme tried to calm him. "You and Renee can sort your problems another time. Try to compose yourself for a few minutes."

"You're right." Carlisle sighed. "Bella, Alice, I hope you're going to have a safe trip." He handed Alice an envelope and hugged her. "Don't spend all of it on clothes. Okay?"

Then he handed a small box to Bella. "That's for you."

"A stethoscope!" Bella called out when she opened the box. "Wow, that's great. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry that I've been such a jerk."

"Hear, hear." Renee nagged. "Acceptance is always the first step."

She stepped forward and hugged first Alice, then Bella, almost bursting into tears when she did so.

"I don't like that you've grown up so fast."

Bella planted a kiss on Renee's cheek. "Mom, please, don't cry. You won't even notice that I'm gone. Eddie and the baby will keep you busy."

The girls stepped inside the car and waved their hand at their parents. Their faces got smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared completely in the review mirror.

Alice sobbed loudly next to Bella.

"Hey, why are you crying now? You don't want us to stay here, do you?"

"No, I just hate saying goodbye so much."

"It's not goodbye forever. We'll be back sooner than you think, we will."

Bella placed her hand on Alice's and squeezed it gently. It made her happy that Alice was wearing her ring on her finger. Destiny had brought them together. She was sure about that. The street ahead of them was empty. They would manage to make it quite far before it would get dark again.

"Are you happy?" Alice asked Bella, swallowing back more tears in her throat.

"Very," Bella stated. "I get to start College together with my beautiful girlfriend. That sounds good to me."

We are perfect for each other, Alice thought, closing her fingers around Bella's hand. Life was finally good to her and just like love; it was full of possibilities.


	38. Chapter 38

[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Surprise, surprise, my darling readers. I felt inspired to give you this little epilogue for AOY. Thanks for all the support you've shown me and my story. I can't thank you enough for that.

****38****

It was still blue. The liquid inside the test tube was still a very clear blue without the slightest hint of green in it. Bella lifted the glass higher under the lamp to take a closer look. No, it was still blue. Damn it.

She tossed the test tube in the trash underneath the desk and sighed deeply. As a doctor she had learned to look at things rationally. The average time for a woman her age to conceive was about six month. That meant she technically was only four months past that mark.

The feeling of disappointment still spread through Bella. It tugged on her heart like a huge, unbearable weight.

Her inner struggle was interrupted when the door to the laboratory was pulled open and Dr. Cullen-Platt entered the room. Bella liked Esme a great deal. She was a kind person and an amazing teacher on top of it. At first Bella had been skeptical about spending her Internship in the same hospital where Carlisle and Esme worked.

Being the chief's stepdaughter, or to be a bit more precisely ex-stepdaughter wasn't a label she was too eager to have marked on her.

"Why are you still here?" Esme asked Bella, stepping a bit closer to the young woman. "Your shift was over forty minutes ago."

"I had to check something." Bella mumbled. "But I'll leave now."

Esme shook her head. The girl was working too hard. It was like she was constantly trying to prove it to everyone what a dedicated doctor she was. The years as an Intern weren't easy. She remembered that well enough from her own experience.

"Are you well? You look tired."

"I'm fine. Have you and Carlisle talked to my mother about Edward?"

Esme nodded her head in response. "Renee didn't seem very happy about it, though."

"I think, she should let him allow living at your place when that's what he wants."

"Your mom doesn't agree on this. She seemed hurt when Carlisle suggested it to her."

Bella cleared her throat. "I'll talk to Renee. But now, I really should leave before someone decides to page me again."

Before she went home, desperate for a few hours of sleep, Bella first went to her parent's house. Even after ten years, it still felt thrilled her that Charlie and Renee had remarried. Wasn't that what every child with divorced parents secretly wished for?

Well, things seemed to be working better for Charlie and Renee this time around and Bella was very happy about that.

She killed the engine and walked towards the front door, almost stumbling over the skateboard that was lying on the ground.

"Clarissa?" she called out. "Don't leave your crap everywhere. Someone could-,"

"Hi, Bella!" her little sister greeted her cheerfully, jogging towards her. "I didn't know you were coming to visit us today."

"Is Mom home?" Bella asked, hugging the small girl tightly.

"I think she's in the kitchen. At least it smells like it."

Bella let herself in with her key and wrinkled her nose when the scent of burned onions and something fishy filled the air.

Loud music, coming from upstairs echoed through the house.

"Hello Mom," the young brunette greeted her mother who was standing on the stove.

They hugged and Bella tried not to breathe in too deeply. Renee and cooking didn't go well together. They never had.

"What are you cooking?"

"Salmon, but it's not going well."

"Let me help you." Bella suggested, reducing the heat on the stove. She realized quickly that all hope was lost with the onions. They were black like coal.

"Sweetie, you look tired." Renee stated. "When was the last time you slept?"

Bella's mouth twitched into a smile. "I'm going to crash when I get home. There's no need to worry."

"Good." Renee mumbled, slicing up tomatoes for salad. "God, this noise is driving me insane."

She walked over to the stairs and yelled loudly. "Edward! Edward, turn the music lower!"

When she returned to the kitchen, Renee sighed deeply. "The boy is driving me insane."

Maybe all kids had a tendency to be difficult once they entered puberty. In Eddie's case, or Edward's as the boy preferred to be called now, it had transformed a sweet boy into a hormonal monster. For a moment Bella wondered if she had been like that when she was younger. Probably not, she thought. I never was a typical teenage girl.

"He doesn't listen to me at all." Renee continued her rambling about her adoptive son. "He doesn't talk to me and only gives snappy answers when you ask him a direct question."

"Mom, maybe you should just give Eddie a break. He's fifteen. That's a difficult age for boys."

Renee sighed and went to the fridge to get some soy cheese out. "He wants to live with Carlisle and Esme."

The bitter tone in her mother's voice made it obvious to Bella how much Renee disliked the thought of her son moving in with her ex-husband. The two of them had managed to make it through the divorce process like mature adults. There had barely been hard words or jealously. Both of them had loved each other but found people who matched them better. That was life. Sometimes love wasn't supposed to last a lifetime.

There was only one sensitive subject between them and that was Edward. It was as if Renee and Esme were constantly fighting for the boy's affection.

"Mom, maybe you should let him move in with Carlisle. If it's what he wants."

"What he wants!" Renee snarled, almost cutting her finger instead of the cucumber in front of her. "I can tell you why he wants to live with them."

"And that is why?" Bella asked, adding the sliced up tomatoes in the salad bowl.

"They are barely home, especially at night. He thinks moving there means no rules."

For a few minutes Bella listened to her mother's complains. Having kids wasn't always easy it seemed. Still she wanted to have a baby so badly. Not just any baby but Alice's. If only—

"Bella, honey, you look like you're going to pass out." Renee said. "Go home and try to get some decent sleep. You need it."

Twenty minutes later when Bella parked her car in front of the apartment she shared with her girlfriend, she didn't feel tired anymore. That was something that always happened when she hadn't slept for close to two days. Eventually she got all hyper.

"There you are!" Alice called out, jumping from the couch as soon as Bella opened the door. "I was starting to worry."

Alice wrapped her arms around Bella's waist and pulled her close. "I wanted to call the police."

"A person has to be missing for a whole twenty four hours before you can report them." Bella told her, laughing. Then she lowered her lips to Alice's and kissed her gently.

"I missed you." Bella whispered, letting the tip of her tongue swipe over Alice's upper lip.

Her stomach roared. It had been hours since she had eaten anything. The food Renee had been preparing didn't appeal too much to her.

"Are you hungry? Let me fix you a sandwich."

Bella's eyes moved over Alice's slim legs as she watched her girlfriend get a plate out of the cupboard.

"How was your shift?" Alice asked, spreading some peanut butter on a piece of bread. "You've worked forever."

"I went to see Mom before I came home." Bella explained, pouring herself a glass of milk.

Alice placed the sandwich in front of Bella and planted another quick kiss on her girlfriend's mouth. "Eat up and then you need to sleep."

"You are starting to act like a mommy to me."

The black-haired girl's lips curled into a smile. "I just care about you. These double shifts in the hospital are killing you. When you get pregnant those need to stop."

Bella flinched. She dropped the glass of milk she was holding and made it shatter on the kitchen floor. A moment later she burst out into tears.

"Hey, hey." Alice tried to calm her down again, kneeling down next to Bella's chair. "That was just some IKEA glass."

She reached out her hand and wiped a bit of wetness from underneath Bella's eyes.

"It's not about the stupid glass." Bella sobbed. "I…I made the test today. It was negative again."

"Oh honey," Alice breathed, wrapping her arms around Bella's neck to hold her close to her chest. "Please, don't cry."

Alice rocked Bella back and forth for a few minutes. Then she made Bella eat half of the sandwich before they went upstairs. The small room next to their bedroom was crowded with boxes and a bunch of other stuff. They couldn't wait to put it to its original use again. Maybe they never would, though.

"Let me help you get out of your clothes." Alice stated, unbuttoning Bella's shirt. "You need to sleep."

"It doesn't make me tired, when you are undressing me."

Bella cupped Alice's jaw between her fingers and pulled the girl's mouth to her own lips. She could feel her heartbeat speeding up. Even after all this time that she and Alice had been together, it still made her all tingly whenever Alice's delicate fingers caressed her skin.

"Did you get your period?" Alice asked, running her lips over Bella's collarbone.

"No." Bella mumbled, closing her eyes. She stumbled backwards to the bed, hopping on top of it.

"You didn't have one in three months now."

Bella sighed. What difference did it make whether she had her stupid period or not? Her hormonal circle still hadn't returned to a normal rhythm since she stopped taking the pill. That was perfectly normal.

Alice took off Bella's shoes and pulled down her socks. "Are you sure that you are not pregnant?"

"I'm a doctor. Do you doubt my skills?" Bella asked, leaning her head back against the pillows behind her.

Alice giggled. "I would never dare to do that, Dr. Swan."

"I fucking love it when you call me Dr. Swan."

I know, Alice thought with a grin on her face. She straddled Bella's lap and moved her lips down to the brunette's chest.

"Dr. Swan, I'm going to take really good care of you."

Alice swirled her tongue between the valley of Bella's breasts, caressing the pale flesh tenderly. They seemed a bit bigger to her. No, that couldn't be. Could it? Maybe it was just the bra, Bella was wearing today. Who would expect such fine lace underneath the plain cotton scrubs, she used to wear at the hospital.

Bella moaned softly when Alice's fingers pulled down the stripes of her bra and unclasped it. This was better. She had no idea why the sturdy thing had been so uncomfortable the entire day. It felt like it was too tight somehow.

Maybe she had gained weight from eating too much of the delicious cakes Alice was always bringing home from work.

After two years at a Fashion Academy Alice had realized that she indeed liked designing clothes. What she didn't like was all the bitchiness among the other students. Everything was pretty from the outside but when you took a closer look it was just awfully superficial.

When she had broken the news to her father that she wanted to quit and attend a Culinary School instead, Carlisle hadn't been pleased at first.

But Bella had talked him into being supportive to his daughter's wish. If this was what Alice wanted to do with her life, she should.

"Are you too tired?" Alice asked Bella, nipping gently on one of Bella's nipples. "We can stop."

"I'm never too tired for you." Bella murmured, fisting her hands through Alice's black curls. She liked the short hair. It looked cute on Alice.

"Good," Alice whispered, running her tongue down to Bella's bellybutton. She could feel herself getting hard. Her erection pressed against Bella's thigh.

With a groan, she kissed her way down her lover's stomach, quickly unzipping Bella's pants to push them down together with her panties.

Alice pressed her lips against the inside of Bella's thigh, going higher and higher. When her mouth reached the bare outer lips of Bella's pussy she moaned. Her tongue swirled up and down, teasing the sensitive pearl on top of the wet entrance.

"Please," Bella groaned. "I need you."

"Soon," Alice mumbled, letting the tip of her tongue flatter over Bella's clit. She loved how it pulsed against her tongue.

A moment before a climax rippled through Bella's body, Alice pulled back. As much as she loved making Bella come with her mouth. She wanted to be buried deep inside of her now and feel her tight walls massaging her hardness.

Quickly she tossed down her clothes and kneeled down between Bella's thighs. She rubbed her hard length between the woman's slick folds, coating it in her essence before she pushed it.

"Fuck,"

"Don't curse." Bella moaned, wrapping her legs around Alice's hips. She could feel Alice gliding even deeper inside of her when she did so. God, how much she loved the feeling of having Alice inside her. Baby making or not, she would never get enough of this.

"You feel so fucking good to me." Alice moaned into Bella's ear. "I love you."

"I love you too." Bella answered, lifting her hips up a bit to match Alice's thrust. "I will always love you. Oh fuck,"

"Now, look who's cursing now," Alice teased Bella. Her hand moved between their joined bodies to stroke Bella's clit. It only took both of them minutes to reach their complexion. Maybe it would only be the two of them for the rest of their lives. It would be enough. It had to.

The next day at the hospital Bella found it difficult to concentrate. She still felt awfully tired, despite the seven hours of uninterrupted sleep she had gotten.

"Clamp." Esme's light voice instructed patiently. "No, the smaller one,"

Bella took a deep breathe. She needed to concentrate better.

"Swab."

"Dr. Swan? Bella? Bella!"

For a split second Bella closed her eyes. The sharp scents of blood and antiseptics made her stomach churn. Next thing she felt was how her body made hard contact with the surgical floor of the OR.

When she blinked though her eyelashes a couple of minutes later Esme was sitting next to her on a plastic chair.

"Welcome back."

Bella groaned. Had she really fainted? How embarrassing.

"I'm sorry." she croaked, trying to sit up a bit straighter on the hospital bed. "I don't know how that happened."

Esme laughed. "It's ok. Some of us faint now and then in the OR. It doesn't make you a bad doctor."

"I still feel dizzy."

"Well, then you should lie down a bit more. I already called Alice to come and pick you up."

"No. Why did you do that? She's going to worry about me."

Esme took Bella's hand and squeezed it for a moment. "I need to make sure that you really rest. I don't like the way you're so pale all the time."

"I've always been pale." Bella explained. "And I always had a tendency to low blood pressure. That's probably why I passed out."

Esme nodded. "Maybe or maybe your body is just trying to tell you that it needs a break."

"I don't want a break."

"Oh, sweetie, it doesn't work like this. Just go home for two days. Sleep and relax. It will help you to feel a lot better."

"I already did sleep. I'm always tired, no matter how much sleep I get or don't sleep."

The red-haired doctor raised one eyebrow. Maybe Bella was coming down with something. Young doctors always had a tendency to catch all kind of germs from their patients.

"How long have you been feeling like this?" Esme asked, wrapping her fingers carefully around Bella's wrist to check her pulse.

"I don't know, a few weeks maybe." Bella said. "Please, stop examining me. I'm fine."

"You're worse than Carlisle." Esme chuckled. She pressed her hand against Bella's forehead. No, it didn't seem like Bella was having a fever.

"I've told you I'm fine."

"You're not fine, stop playing it down." Esme demanded. "What other symptoms are you having apart from being tired?"

Bella sighed. She hated being sick more than anything. Catching some stupid flu or something like that was exactly what she needed right now. Damn it.

"I'm just tired…and I gained a bit of weight, my period is late…oh and everything smells much stronger to me. Isn't that weird?"

Esme cleared her throat. For a moment she hesitated. It couldn't be that…it wasn't possible, was it?

"Are you pregnant?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I'm not. I made a test."

"You made a test?" Esme repeated. "Why? I didn't know you and Alice were trying for a baby."

Bella sighed, rubbing her eyes. "We didn't want to tell anyone until it worked. Well, our chances for it to work aren't very big but still."

She crumpled the pillow behind her together to make the bed a bit more comfortable for her. "Alice suggested we could use a donor. But I don't want some stranger's child."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Alice rushed in, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "Honey, are you well? Esme, is she okay?"

"I'm just about to find out about. Bella, when was the last time you had your period?"

"February," Alice answered instead of Bella.

"That's three months ago. Are you sure that you aren't pregnant?"

"She made a test."

"I made a test." Bella repeated. "I made four tests. They were all negative."

Esme smiled kindly while she put a bit of disinfectant spray on Bella's arm. "I'll have your blood examined. That way we'll know for sure."

While Bella and Alice waited for Esme to return with the test result, Alice had started playing around with Bella's hair.

"I took the rest of the day off to take care of you. There's a delicious raspberry cream waiting in our fridge for you."

Alice leaned forward and kissed Bella. "I love you. Please, don't faint again. I was really worried when Esme called me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't have to be." Alice assured her. "Just promise me to take better care of yourself in the future."

"I will. I promise."

Esme entered the room again, followed by Carlisle who was pushing one of the portable ultrasonic devices with him.

"Hi Dad," Alice greeted her father. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry." Esme mumbled. "He was there when I picked up your test results in the laboratory and overheard me talking to the nurse there."

"Carlisle, that's none of your business." Bella whispered. "It's just between Alice and me whether we want to—,"

"I assure you, Bella that _my_ grandchild is my business. Now, lay back and let me do an ultrasound."

The gel he squirted on her flat stomach was cold. Why was he doing that? It was completely unnecessary. For a moment everything Bella could focus on was the unpleasantly coldness underneath her navel.

Then she raised her head to the tiny computer screen at the side of the ultrasound.

"There we have it. Looks like you're about thirteen weeks now."

"Oh Bella," Alice sobbed next to her, rubbing her tear-covered face against Bella's shoulder. "We're really going to have a baby. I can't believe it."

Bella's mouth fell open. "But what about the test I made? They were negative."

"Hormones are a complicated thing." Carlisle explained. "Sometimes the level of pregnancy hormones in a woman's urine isn't high enough to make the test work."

Esme cleared her throat and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "We should give the two of them a bit of privacy."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Maybe, we should." He sighed deeply and kissed Alice on her forehead. "I'm happy for you, sweetie."

They walked out, leaving Alice and Bella on their own.

"Let me get this gel from your stomach before it ruins your shirt." Alice mumbled, grabbing a paper towel.

"I can't believe I didn't notice I'm pregnant. I mean what kind of doctor am I?"

"An excellent one," Alice told her, lowering her mouth to Bella's abdomen. "Hello baby."

She turned her head upwards to Bella. "Can she hear me?"

"She?"

"Well, I mean it. Can _it_ hear me?"

"I think so." Bella whispered, stroking gently over Alice's face. "God, I love you so much."

"I love you." Alice stated. She jumped from the bed and leaned down to lift up her handbag from the floor. "Are you hungry? I brought some cranberry cookies with me."

She placed the plastic box on Bella's lap. The aroma of vanilla and fruit entered Bella's nose. God, she was going to end up as a whale by the time this baby would be born.

With a sigh, she lifted the first of the cookies to her lips. Then she noticed something small and golden lying between the cookies in the box. She coughed, barely managing to swallow the piece she was chewing.

"I wanted to ask you on our anniversary last month." Alice explained. "But then I kind of chickened out again."

Bella took the small gold ring between her fingers. It was pretty, a plain gold with a little heart-shaped emerald on top of it.

"You want to marry me?"

"I love you. We're going to be family."

Alice voice cracked when she continued. She had wanted to ask Bella this question for a very long time. Bella was the love of her life. Alice was sure about that.

"Bella Swan, do you want to marry me?"

Alice took the ring from Bella's hand and slowly pushed it up her girlfriend's ring finger. "Please say something. You're making me nervous here."

"Yes." Bella whispered. "Yes, I want to marry you. Oh, Alice."

They kissed and Bella pulled Alice on top of her on the narrow hospital bed. "I love you." Alice mumbled, kissing Bella's mouth tenderly. "I love both of you so much."

"Do you want to get married before or after the baby is born?" Bella asked, wrapping her arms a bit tighter around Alice.

"Depends on how quickly I'll manage to organize everything. Do you want a big wedding? You do want a big wedding, right? Please, say yes! I always wanted a big wedding."

Bella caressed Alice's hair. It was difficult to hold Alice back when she was getting passionate about something. Bella didn't have the heart to tell her no, even when the thought of a big wedding made her nervous. She hated being the center of attention.

"Whatever makes you happy, my darling."

"Really? That's great."

Alice kissed Bella until both of them were panting breathless. "You're going to make me hard when we keep going."

"I'm sorry." Bella mumbled against Alice's throat. "We can safe that for when we are home."

"Are you allowed to leave?"

Bella sighed, pulling Alice close for another tender kiss. "I'm just pregnant and not sick. Come on. Let's go home. We have a nursery and a wedding to prepare."


End file.
